


never gonna quit it

by cjmasim



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Chocolate Frog Cards, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 06:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16487510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmasim/pseuds/cjmasim
Summary: When Jake's childhood hobby of collecting Chocolate Frog Cards turns into an Inter–House competition with much higher stakes than he'd bargained for, he and Charlie work together to do whatever it takes to win. Jake doesn't expect to develop feelings for him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic turned out to be about three times longer than I initially expected, and it was very much a labor of love. I've been wanting to write a Hogwarts AU forever now, partially because they're fun, and partially because HP fic is what gave me my start in writing and without it, I wouldn't be here. Fun fact: this is technically a rewrite of one of the first HP fics I wrote, in the sense that it has the same basic premise and not much else. I was 11 at the time, so I promise you the quality of this one is much, much higher. 
> 
> There are lots of other characters who aren't tagged, as well as some hinted/referenced background relationships. A few warnings: this story does contain non–graphic magical and physical violence, loss of bodily autonomy, and theft. 
> 
> Also, [there is a playlist and cover art](https://open.spotify.com/user/somehowunbroken/playlist/0qJv4KjeLWBa1r0JmaNoLt?si=VaSXQQxMQjeXuc0M4aJnaw) to go with this fic! Thank you so much to somehowunbroken for creating it; it goes perfectly with the fic and I highly recommend you give it a listen. <3
> 
> The title comes from Chocolate by The 1975.
> 
> If you or someone you know personally is represented in this fic, please turn away.
> 
> A special thank you to Elle for the beta work/Britpick! I'm not sure this fic would've gotten done on time without you. Thank you as well to the mods of the HBB and everyone who's encouraged me on tumblr for providing me with the motivation to finish this!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Word count for chapter 1: 6,370

"Jake DeBrusk!" Brock calls as Jake enters the dorm room, clapping him on the back as he walks towards his bed. "We missed you, man!"

"Welcome back!" Jordan adds.

"Hey guys!" Jake says. "Long time no see!"

"How was your Christmas?" Kyle asks.

"Oh, it was great," Jake answers. "No tropical vacation this time around, but it was nice to see my parents. Especially the part where they were nagging my sister about her OWLS instead of me like last year."

"I do _not_ miss fifth year," Brock laughs.

"Cheers to that," Kyle says, pretending to hold up a glass.

"She's a Ravenclaw, though," Jordan says. "Does she even need to be nagged? I'm sure she could do loads better than you without even studying."

"Oh, fuck off," Jake laughs, then begins to unpack in preparation for the next day. He puts away his clothes, though he knows they won't stay neat for long, and lays his Gryffindor scarf on his bedside table to ensure that he won't forget it in the morning. At the bottom of his trunk, he finds his Christmas gifts, and grabs the Chocolate Frogs immediately.

"Anyone want some?" he asks his roommates. "Other than Greenway."

"You know," Jordan starts, "I've never actually had a Chocolate Frog before."

"Oh, fuck off, you can't be serious," Kyle says. "I know you're Muggle-born, but you're a bloody sixth-year; there's no way you haven't tried one by now!"

Jordan shrugs. "Nope, I'm serious."

"Merlin, I guess I'll have to give you one now," Jake says, handing him, Kyle, and Brock a Chocolate Frog each, and taking one for himself.

"You are about to be blown away, man," Brock says to Jordan as they all unwrap the frogs. "Man, Zachy Boy is missing out."

"Sucks to be a prefect," Jake grins.

"Oh, I don't think he minds doing his duties with Larkin," Kyle says, winking, and they all laugh.

A few seconds pass as they finish unwrapping the frogs, each holding onto theirs to prevent them from hopping away, and Brock is the first to finish. "Hey, sweet," he says. "I got Helga Hufflepuff! She was the only founder I still needed." He takes a bite of his frog.

"Really?" Jake raises an eyebrow. "I have at least fifteen of her." He doesn't look down at his card yet; he already has them all, and he's much more interested in Jordan's reaction to his favorite childhood treat.

"I got Albus Dumbledore," Kyle chimes in, pausing to swallow his bite. "He's always a cool one to get."

"And I got Bertie Bott," Jordan says. "Fitting, since I've tried far too many of those."

"Shit, that one's pretty rare," Jake says.

"Aren't you going to look at yours?" Jordan asks.

Jake shrugs, and pulls out the card, expecting to see Agrippa or Bane yet again. Instead, he is greeted by the faint smile of Professor Minerva McGonagall. He stares, shocked, letting go of his frog.

> _The current Headmistress of Hogwarts, McGonagall has spent much of her life working in education, having previously served as Hogwarts’ Transfiguration professor. She is also an Animagus and member of the Order of the Phoenix. She contributed significantly to the defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War, for which she received an Order of Merlin, First Class._

Kyle snaps his fingers in front of Jake's face, holding up Jake's escaped frog, and he looks up, startled. "So who is it?" he asks. "We've been calling your name."

Jake looks back down at the card, half expecting it to have been just a hallucination brought on by his exhaustion after a long day of traveling, but his headmistress remains the name and face on the card.

"I've never seen this card before," he says quietly, taking the frog back from Kyle.

"Okay, cool," Brock says. "Jordan and I got new ones too, though I guess they're all new to Jordan."

"No," Jake says. "I mean - I have the whole collection at home. Completed it when I was ten. I have the certification of completion and everything, and I have never seen this card before."

The room is quiet for a moment before Kyle speaks. "I mean, they've obviously added new cards at various points, right? Like, the company was founded in, what, the 1920s? Dumbledore wouldn't have been on a card then."

"You'd think they'd send out a letter to everyone who's completed the collection," Jake says. “I have the official certificate and everything.”

Kyle shrugs. "I don't know, man, but it is super impressive that you've completed it. There are just a few cards that I can never seem to find."

"I haven't really completed it, though," Jake says. "Not if there are more out there."

"So you'll have to go out and find all the new cards," Brock says, as though it's as simple of a task as folding laundry.

"You're right," Jake agrees easily. "My Chocolate Frog Card collection is my greatest achievement in life so far. I can't just let it be taken away."

"How do you know when it's complete, though?" Brock asks.

"I’ll just have to send an owl requesting a list," Jake says. He throws the Chocolate Frog onto his bed, letting his roommates try to catch it as it hops away, gets some paper and a quill, and begins writing.

-

By the end of the next day, Jake has already finished the rest of the Chocolate Frogs he received for Christmas, to no avail. Professor McGonagall remains the only new card he has found, and with the next Hogsmeade weekend drawing closer, he's beginning to grow anxious. Of course, the very day Jake begins drafting a follow-up letter to the manufacturer ("Just in case they didn't get the first one", he tells Brock), he receives a response.

He's sitting with Anders Bjork in the Great Hall, eating eggs and toast and gossiping about Professor Marchand, when the letter arrives.

"Bloody hell," Jake says. Anders raises an eyebrow. "I was beginning to think they'd never reply."

Jake opens the letter, leaving Anders to his confusion, and begins reading aloud. 

> _Dear Mr. DeBrusk,_
> 
> _We are pleased that you noticed the additions to our collection before our official press release. Your letter made it clear to us that you are a dedicated collector of our product, and as such, we will gladly provide you with the necessary information so that you may further your collection._
> 
> _In addition, should you be the first to provide proof of your newly completed collection, we would be honored to reward you with a prize of 500 Galleons and a feature in the Daily Prophet. However, we do wish to inform you that you are not the only student at Hogwarts who has reached out to us in such a way, nor are you the only student to receive such a response._
> 
> _Kind regards,_
> 
> _Eleanora Bones_
> 
> _Promotions Team_
> 
> _Tuftmusk Manufacturing Company_

Attached to the letter is a list of names, which Jake scans after reading the letter.

  * _Sirius Black_
  * _Meghan Duggan_
  * _Sergei Fedorov_
  * _Wayne Gretzky_
  * _Zachary Hyman_
  * _Jaromir Jagr_
  * _Amanda Kessel_
  * _Hilary Knight_
  * _Viktor Krum_
  * _Neville Longbottom_
  * _Minerva McGonagall_
  * _Harry Potter_
  * _Ginevra Weasley Potter_
  * _Luna Lovegood Scamander_
  * _Kingsley Shacklebolt_
  * _Hermione Granger Weasley_
  * _Ronald Weasley_
  * _Hayley Wickenheiser_
  * _Stephen Yzerman_



"Okay, Jake, seriously, what are you so excited about? There's no candy in there," Anders says.

Jake opens his mouth, prepared to explain the story, but his stomach growls. He closes his mouth, sliding the letter over to Anders in lieu of an explanation, and takes another bite of his toast. After taking a moment to read over the letter, Anders slides it back across the table, taking a bite of his own food before speaking.

"Is this about collecting Chocolate Frog Cards?"

Jake nods. "You know I already completed the collection, but apparently they've added several cards, and now there's money on the line."

"Wow," Anders says.

"Wow," Jake echoes, laughing slightly. "I really didn't know what I was getting into when I sent them that letter, but I'll have to go all in now."

"I'm with you, man," Anders says. "Anything you need, I'm here.”

Jake furrows his eyebrows. "Aren't you busy with NEWTs? And Quidditch?"

Anders shrugs. "Yeah, of course, but I'll still help you when I can.”

"Thanks, man," Jake says. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, and all," Anders says. "Especially if it means you’ll give me some frogs. I wonder who that other student is?"

"What if there's more than one?" Jake asks.

"Shit, I didn't even think of that," Anders says. "You know what? I can ask Willy; he knows all the gossip in this school. I don't even know how he has time to be Quidditch captain."

Jake thinks about making a remark about Gryffindor's unexpected loss to Haydn Fleury's Hufflepuff team, but knowing that Anders is on Gryffindor’s team as well, decides against it. Admittedly, Jake had been spending most of that match admiring Charlie McAvoy's complete shutdown of Hufflepuff's star Chaser Dylan Strome, and he hadn't even noticed when Pasta caught the Snitch four minutes into the match, securing a 150-10 victory for Hufflepuff, until Mitch Marner screamed loudly enough for everyone in the stands to hear.

"Willy is certainly something," he says instead.

-

After dinner that night, Jake returns to the common room to get some homework done. Before he can even open up his textbook, however, someone clears their throat to get his attention.

Jake looks up to see a third-year who he vaguely recognizes.

"Hello," the boy says, and Jake can tell from his accent that he's not from the U.K. "You're Jake DeBrusk, right?"

"Yes," Jake says, raising an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"Andrei Svechnikov," he says, holding out a hand to shake, and Jake takes it. Andrei has a firm grip for a 13-year-old, Jake thinks. "You're looking for Chocolate Frogs, right?"

"How do you know about that?" Jake asks. He hadn't told anyone other than his roommates and Anders, right? Andrei hadn't been nearby for either of those conversations, so how - ?

"Brady Tkachuk told me," Andrei says, and Jake realizes what must have happened, even as Andrei continues to explain. "Uh, he said his brother's friend - uh, Alex…?"

"Nylander," Jake mutters. "Of course." Anders had told Willy, and really, Jake should have known better than to think that Willy might not tell every single person he's ever met about even the most vaguely interesting piece of gossip.

"Yes, that's the name," Andrei says. "Am I supposed to not know?"

"No, don't worry about it," Jake says, shaking his head. He may not have really wanted the whole school to know, but he doesn't see how there could be any harm in it. Maybe collecting cards isn't exactly cool, but Jake has never been cool, no matter what Willy and Anders insist.

"Okay," Andrei says, smiling a little. "Anyway, I wanted to give you this." He unzips his bag, pulls out a Chocolate Frog Card, and hands it to Jake. It's Wayne Gretzky, and while Jake's never been much of a Quidditch player himself, Gretzky was one of his favorite players to watch as a kid.

"Wow," Jake says. "I - you didn't have to."

"I wanted to help," Andrei says. "Besides, I have two. Now, read it!"

Jake does.  

> _Gretzky is a talented multi-sport athlete who famously balanced two careers: one as a professional Chaser for the Falmouth Falcons and one as a professional hockey player for various teams of the now-defunct Muggle British Hockey League, most prominently the Cardiff Devils. He broke numerous records in both leagues, and has since retired. He now owns and coaches the Pride of Portree, and while he is no longer involved in hockey, he says that he still attends games every weekend._

"What a guy," Jake says. "Thank you, Andrei. Really. He's always been one of my favorite players."

"You're welcome," Andrei beams. "Me too. I need to watch some footage of him before I try out for the team next year."

"Good luck," Jake says. "And have a good night."

"Thanks, you too," Andrei says, and with that, he walks back across the room to sit with some other third-years.

Jake admires the card one last time, tucking it into his bag as he turns back to his homework. Maybe having everyone know about it won't be so bad.

-

"Seriously?" Jake groans as his attempt at conjuring birds in Transfiguration class fails once again. Next to him, Brandon Carlo shrugs, lightly stroking the robin perched on his shoulder.

"I don't know what to tell you, man," he says. "It looked like you were doing it right."

"You're not helpful," Jake sighs. He begins to raise his hand, but sees that Professor Bergeron is busy helping Noah Hanifin - cruelly, he thinks that Bergeron will surely be occupied for the rest of the class. "Show me again?" he asks Brandon, who complies.

Before Jake can try the conjuring spell again, David Pastrnak enters the classroom. Jake, like every other student in the room, stops what he's doing to see what the Hufflepuff prefect needs. Professor Bergeron leaves Hanifin to exchange a few words with Pasta, too quiet for Jake to hear from across the room, then turns back to the class.

"Mr. DeBrusk, you're dismissed," Bergeron says.

"Me?" Jake asks, stunned.

"Yes, you," Bergeron says, a faint smirk on his face. "Professor McGonagall would like a word with you."

A few Hufflepuffs - Strome, Marner, and Hanifin, unsurprisingly - exclaim that he must be in trouble, and for a moment, Jake is terrified that he is. A reassuring smile from Brandon as he gathers his supplies reminds Jake that he probably isn't, though he supposes Brandon doesn't actually know about the Dungbomb incident, even if it had been Willy’s fault. He heads towards the door, and as soon as he's out, he asks Pasta why McGonagall needs him.

"I have no idea," Pasta laughs. "I'm just the messenger. But we're not going straight there; we have to get a few other students."

"Who?" Jake asks.

"First, we'll go to Defense to get Hischier, then down to Potions to get McDavid and Eichel." Jake opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, Pasta speaks. "I told you, I don't know why she needs all of you.”

They make it to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom quickly, and Professor Marchand acts surprised to see Jake.

"Professor Bergeron really let you out of his NEWT-level class?" he asks Jake with a smirk. "Must be important."

"Do you know why she needs me?" Jake asks, and Marchand winks.

"Nope," he claims, though Jake doesn’t quite believe him.

They leave the classroom after telling him what they need, Jake and Pasta walking in front while Nico Hischier trails behind. He asks Pasta the same questions as Jake, to no avail. Once he concludes that his fellow Hufflepuff is telling the truth about not knowing anything, he turns to Jake.

"Any idea why we're here?" he asks.

Jake shrugs. "I've never even spent time with you before, so at least I know we're not in trouble."

Nico doesn’t respond, and after a moment, Pasta fills the silence. “So, Jake,” he says, chuckling. “How’s the Chocolate Frog collection coming along?”

Jake groans. “Coming about as well as Nylander’s ability to keep his bloody mouth shut.”

“Is it true they said there’s another student trying for the same thing?” Pasta asks.

“Yes,” Jake confirms. “And somehow, not even the great William Nylander knows who it is.”

“Must not have told anyone,” Pasta shrugs, and before Jake can respond, they arrive at the Potions classroom.

“This should be fun,” Pasta whispers before knocking on the door.

"Oh, hello, Jake," Professor Ruggiero greets, opening the door, and Jake grins. "And Mr. Pastrnak, and Mr. Hischier. What brings you here?"

Jake explains the situation, despite the glare Pasta sends him for taking over his job, and within a minute, they've added Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel to their ranks. Pasta leads them all to Professor McGonagall's office, leaving Jake to answer Connor and Jack's questions.

"I still don't believe you," Jack says. "One of you must know what's going on. Why would she want to see _McDavid_ and me?" He says McDavid’s name as if it’s poison, somehow with more passion and hatred than Jake’s parents on the rare occasion they talk about Voldemort and the war.

Jake rolls his eyes, suddenly wishing he could skip his afternoon Defense class shared with Connor and Jack. "You do realize Hischier and I are in this too, right?"

"The better question is why I'm here, since I'm the only one of us who isn't a sixth-year," Nico chimes in.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Eichel," Connor says, a pained expression on his face. "Why the two of us?"

"Bloody hell, you guys, get over it," Jake moans, causing Pasta to suppress a laugh. "So what if Eichel pissed in your pumpkin juice, or McDavid cast a trip jinx on you? It's all in the past, and McDavid, I know you at least should understand that there are far more important things to worry about these days."

"What, like NEWTs?" Connor snorts. "Believe me, I know. But you don't know the whole story. He’s an immature prat who deserved that trip jinx and everything else I’ve ever done to him, which, mind you, isn’t nearly as bad as what he’s done to me."

"Oh?" Jack says. "Do enlighten me."

"Okay, okay," Jake interjects, holding up his hand. "Save it for the bedroom."

Connor blushes furiously, and turns his head so that Jack can't see it. _Well_ , Jake thinks to himself, _this is certainly something_.

"Fuck you," Jack says, slightly red himself, and Jake is about to make another innuendo before Nico cuts him off.

"Why do you two hate each other, anyway?" he asks.

"Don't believe all the rumors," Jack tells him. "Everyone likes to think I started it, since I'm the _big bad Slytherin_ , but that's the complete opposite of the truth."

"You are such a liar," Connor says, the blush now gone from his face. "It's not like the school's gossip mill is any more favorable to Ravenclaws."

"Considering that the school's 'gossip mill' is ninety percent William Nylander, I have to agree with McDavid on this one," Jake says. "Anyway, Nico, as someone in the same year as them, all I know for sure is that they were friends for the first few months of our first year, both stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas break, and something happened before the rest of us got back. Nylander told me that Eichel stole all of McDavid's gifts, but, though Willy is unfortunately a friend of mine, I don't actually believe him. So," he asks Connor and Jack, "What is the truth?"

Connor and Jack try to speak at the same time, and rather than letting them fight it out, Jake instructs Jack to speak first.

"He broke his new broom and blamed it on me," Jack says simply.

"That is not true!" Connor interjects. " _You_ broke my broom. And I'll admit, I was mad at you for that, but I’d have got over it if you'd just owned up to your mistake. Instead, you denied it, and _you_ blamed _me_ for breaking _my_ broom!"

"Shouldn't a Ravenclaw be able to understand how flawed your logic is?" Jack snorts.

"I think the better question here is why were you two riding the same broom in the first place?" Jake asks.

"We weren't-" Connor starts.

"I didn't have a broom," Jack says. "See how much he enjoys lying?"

"Eichel, you-"

"Okay," Jake interjects. "I think it's safe to say that no one will ever know who actually broke the broom."

"Sounds that way," Nico agrees.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this, uh… therapeutic conversation," Pasta says, "We're here."

-

"Thank you, Mr. Pastrnak. You are dismissed," Professor McGonagall says as they enter her office. Pasta leaves as instructed, and she instructs the four remaining boys to sit down, so they do. "Now, Mr. Hischier, I suspect you, at least, have an inkling of why I have brought you all here."

Jake turns to Nico, who is blushing slightly. "Well, I have a suspicion."

"Do share," McGonagall says.

"Is it about Chocolate Frogs?" Nico asks, and Jake is hit with a wave of realization.

"You're the other student," he says to Nico, who nods. "And the whole time Pasta and I were talking, you didn't think to share this with me?"

Nico shrugs. “I didn’t want anyone to know. Although for the record, I did tell Nolan Patrick and Cody Glass. My friends are just better at keeping secrets than yours.”

"Yes," McGonagall continues before Jake can try to defend Willy and Anders, and really, it’s probably for the best, because Nico’s not wrong. "It is true that you are the two students who have begun collecting the newest Chocolate Frog Cards, is it not?" Jake and Nico nod. "Gossip travels fast at Hogwarts, even faster among the portraits, and Professor Dumbledore's portrait was made aware of your endeavors before most of the students. Speaking of you two, I suppose you still don't know why you're here."

"No, Professor," Connor says, and Jack shakes his head.

"Well, to put it simply, Professor Dumbledore's portrait is always itching for something exciting to happen - a result of the events that unfolded during his time as Headmaster and his personality, I suppose. Ever since I took over, he's been begging me to do something fun for the school. Usually, I ignore his ideas, for they would just cause too much chaos. However, I have been considering an event to bolster House pride and encourage cooperation among the students for the sake of a common goal, and his latest idea is, admittedly, just what I have been searching for. Mr. DeBrusk and Mr. Hischier, your goal to complete the modern Chocolate Frog Card collection has inspired Professor Dumbledore and I, and as such, we have decided to extend the offer presented by Tuftmusk Manufacturing into an inter-House competition. Of course, Mr. DeBrusk, you will represent Gryffindor, and Mr. Hischier, you will represent Hufflepuff. However, due to the lack of collectors in Ravenclaw and Slytherin, I had to enlist the help of your Heads of House to pick representatives. That is why you are here, Mr. McDavid and Mr. Eichel."

"They have an unfair advantage, though," Jack says. "Having started earlier, I assume they each have at least one card. I don't have any, and I bet McDavid doesn't either."

"He's right," Connor says, once again appearing to be in pain.

McGonagall smirks in amusement, obviously more than aware of their feud, and replies. "Oh, I don't think that will be an issue for either of you. From what I understand, Mr. DeBrusk and Mr. Hischier have only managed to collect one card each, hardly giving them an advantage.” She’s wrong, Jake knows, as Andrei has already given him a second, but he doesn’t correct her. “Most importantly, however, Mr. Eichel, you may be the most resourceful student I have ever met, and Mr. McDavid, you may be the most intelligent. Both of you are certainly the most competitive. I have no doubt that you will all have a fair shot in this competition." Nico begins to speak, but McGonagall cuts him off. "And Mr. Hischier, your age has no bearing on your ability to collect Chocolate Frog Cards." He closes his mouth. 

“What, you’re not going to call DeBrusk the bravest student, or Hischier the best finder?” Jack asks with a smirk. McGonagall glares at him.

"Fine," Connor says after a brief moment of silence, frowning. "What will our prize be, if we should agree?”

"Should one of you complete your collection before the end of the school year, you will earn 150 House Points, as well as the prizes offered to Mr. Hischier and Mr. DeBrusk: 500 Galleons and a feature in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Not bad," Jack says. "But what if we don't complete the collection before the end of the school year?"

"If none of you complete the collection in time, the competition ends at Hogwarts. Tuftmusk will still award you their prize, assuming no other wizards complete the collection before you, but there will be no House Points awarded."

"Alright," Jack says. "I'm in."

"So am I," Nico says.

"Count me in," Jake says.

"Oh, alright, fine," Connor says. "I'll do it."

-

"Remind me again why we have to do this?" Jack asks, not for the first time since he arrived in the trophy room.

Connor opens his mouth, presumably to tell Jack to shut up again, but Jake speaks before he can. "Eichel, you're not convincing anyone. We all know you love the spotlight, especially when there's drama involved."

"He's right," Connor says, and Jake sighs.

"Fuck off," Jack says to both of them. "This is completely unnecessary and you know it. And I don't _love_ drama, I just can't fucking stand-"

"Language, Mr. Eichel!" Professor Ruggiero says as she joins them in the trophy room, and even though she's Jake's favorite professor, he's never been more glad to see her. "We have five minutes, boys. You all ready?"

"I am beyond ready," Jake says, side-eying Jack and Connor.

The two rivals stop bickering due to the presence of a professor, leaving all five of them standing in awkward silence, Jake mentally rehearsing the routine for which he'd only had a brief practice session earlier in the day. Finally, Professors Bergeron and Marchand come in together, closely followed by Flitwick, Hagrid, and the Head Boy and Girl, Leon Draisaitl and Megan Keller. Professor McGonagall comes in shortly afterward to make sure everyone is ready, and once she has the all clear, she heads back out into the Great Hall.

The walls of the castle are too thick for Jake to hear what she says, though he knows she's just announcing the competition to the students. After a moment, Hagrid gestures to Leon and Megan, meaning that the actual ceremony is about to begin. They head out, and Hagrid ushers the remaining students and professors closer to the door. Jake looks out at the stage, and he can just hear the end of Megan saying that they're going to announce the champions for each house.

The lights dim, and the hall fills with chatter before going silent again as Leon begins to speak.

"From Gryffindor…"

Hagrid gestures to Professor Ruggiero, who walks out onto the stage. Jake waits three seconds, just as instructed, then follows.

"Jake DeBrusk!"

Jake can feel the eyes of everyone at Hogwarts on him for the first time since his Sorting. It's not unlike that experience, actually; he's once again on the stage of the Great Hall, everyone looking at him, and the Gryffindor table is cheering. This time, though, they're much louder.

He smiles, and even if the attention would normally make him nervous, it doesn't, because he knows that Gryffindor has his back.

The moment ends much quicker than it began, and suddenly Professor Flitwick is walking onto the stage, Connor following a few steps behind and receiving the same treatment from the Ravenclaw table. He comes to a stop next to Jake, right in the front and center of the stage. Despite the cheering, he isn't smiling.

After Connor, Professor Bergeron walks gracefully onto the stage, smiling at the crowd, followed by Nico, who looks a little uncomfortable. Once Megan announces his name and the Hufflepuff table begins to cheer, he smiles, seemingly more at ease. Professor Marchand comes out next, followed by Jack. Both of them seem to enjoy the attention, and Jack seems to be positively glowing; whether from the attention itself or the uncomfortable grimace on Connor's face, Jake isn't sure.

Once they're all assembled on stage, and Professor Marchand makes it back to the professors' table, Megan hands the stage back to McGonagall, who begins her speech.

"I know you are all hungry, and those of you on stage might be a bit uncomfortable, so I'll keep it brief," she says. "The Chocolate Frog Card Inter-House Competition, as I explained before, is meant to foster House unity and cooperation for the sake of learning about more recent history that may not be covered as thoroughly in Professor Binns' class."

Jake snickers, thinking of how it wouldn't matter if recent history were taught in Binns' class since no one listens anyway. Well, except maybe Connor, who glares at Jake until he reverts to a serious expression.

"I encourage each and every one of you to do whatever you can to assist your House Champion," McGonagall continues. "Though I must remind you to not break any school rules or laws, as doing so for the sake of the competition will not be enough to get you out of any punishment that you will face as a result. With that said, I will conclude the ceremony, and I wish all of the House Champions the best of luck in this competition."

The crowd gives them a round of applause, and once the noise dies down, McGonagall finishes her speech.

"You may now return to your seats. The Chocolate Frog Card Inter-House Competition has now officially begun."

With that, Jake, Connor, Nico, and Jack step away from each other, walking to their respective tables as close to in sync as they can manage. Leon and Megan follow behind them, heading to the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables respectively. Jake takes a seat at the nearest end of the Gryffindor table, next to Anders and Dylan Larkin, just so as to not draw the ceremony out any longer than necessary. Once the others are seated, the food appears on the tables, and the Great Hall is once again alive with chatter.

Anders reaches over and claps him on the shoulder. "You did great up there, mate!"

"Yeah, you did," Dylan says. "Hey, actually-"

"Come on, Larkin, at least let him get some food," Anders says.

Jake shoots him a grin in thanks as he grabs some food, and once he's taken a bite, Dylan continues.

"I just wanted to say that this competition is a fantastic opportunity for Gryffindor, and I hope that you will put everything you have into it. We haven't won the House Cup since my first year, and as prefect, one of my duties is to ensure that Gryffindor gets as many points as possible. If you win, that should be enough to seal the deal. I'm going to host an emergency House meeting tonight to discuss this, but just know that all of Gryffindor has your back, and if you need any assistance, I can help you out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to go talk to Megan about this meeting."

"Uh, thanks, mate," Jake says as Dylan walks away.

"Prefects," Anders says, shaking his head, and they both laugh. "Speaking of which, I'm still going to try to help you however much I can, but, uh, I don't know how much that's going to be possible."

"What do you mean?" Jake asks.

"Well, you know, we had this practice test in Charms today and, uh - I guess that made me realize that I have a _lot_ of studying to do for NEWTs. I'll still give you any cards I find, and get you some frogs whenever I can, but now that this is a whole competition, not just a personal thing, it's going to be more of a time commitment, you know? Like, you'll probably have to strategize and shit, and I don't think I can really help you with that. Even if I had the time, like, I'm not smart enough for that."

"Oh, come on, yes you are," Jake says, and, well, maybe it's a lie, considering that Jake has helped him with his homework on numerous occasions despite being a year below him, but he's just being a good friend. "But you do have a point, and really, it's fine. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I guess if I get stuck I can just ask Dylan?"

Anders grimaces. "Yeah, he says that, but anytime you try to reach him he's either on prefect duties or snogging Werenski. Or both."

Jake laughs. "Bold of you to assume he would ever shirk his prefect duties."

"Oh, I've walked in on them," Anders says. "They're really into-"

"Bjork," Jake says, trying to keep his voice stern, but it doesn’t work, and they both dissolve into laughter once again.

-

When Jake gets back to the common room that night, he sees that Dylan hadn’t been kidding about holding an emergency House meeting. He and Megan, the two seventh-year Gryffindor prefects, are standing at each set of stairs, blocking the entrances to the doors as they wait for everyone to file in. Knowing that it may take a while for everyone to arrive, Jake finds himself a seat and gets to work on his Charms essay.

Eventually, the last of the Gryffindors trickle in, and Dylan calls everyone to attention. Jake puts down his paper and quill.

"Hello, everyone," Dylan begins. "Megan and I have called this emergency House meeting so that we can discuss the Chocolate Frog Card competition that Professor McGonagall just announced at dinner, as you may have guessed."

"Those of you who are new may not know this," Megan says, "but Gryffindor hasn't won the House Cup since Dylan and I were first-years. Those 150 points would be a huge step forward in securing our victory, which, for just about all of you, would be the first you've experienced. Therefore, we are going to go all out on making sure that our very own Jake DeBrusk wins this competition, not just for himself, but for Gryffindor."

Anders cheers, and many others follow suit.

"Now," Dylan continues. "In order to win this competition, we are going to need to work together. Jake, I know I told you this at dinner, but let me reiterate: you are not in this alone. Every single one of us must do all we can to help him. That means that if you have a card that Jake doesn't have, you need to give it to him, and if you get a card in the future that he doesn't have, you need to give it to him. If any of you happen to have a connection at Tuftmusk Manufacturing, you need to use that connection to get as many Chocolate Frogs as you can squeeze out of them."

"And those of you - you know who you are - who have cost us the House Cup year after year due to your rebellion, pranks, and general mischievousness: this is your chance to redeem yourselves," Megan adds.

"Are we all clear?" Dylan asks, and there's a chorus of agreement from the students. "Good. You're all dismissed." He catches Jake's eye and grins, and Jake smiles back. Dylan turns around and heads up the stairs, presumably going to bed, so Jake turns back to his Charms essay.

He manages two sentences before someone approaches him, clearing his throat to catch Jake's attention, and he looks up to see Charlie McAvoy.

"Hey," Jake says, surprised. Back in his third year and Charlie's second, he tutored Charlie in Potions and they got along pretty well, but ever since Charlie got his grade up, they haven't spoken much.

"Hey Jake," Charlie says. "I know all of Gryffindor has your back and all, but, uh, I was just wondering - do you need help?"

"Help?"

"Like, not just for me to hand you my cards and be done with it - I don't even have any cards - but, like, I can help you strategize, or whatever," Charlie says, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm good friends with a few Slytherins, and Auston Matthews told me he and Travis Konecny are basically acting as Jack's personal assistants for this competition. Hischier, being a Hufflepuff, definitely has at least twenty people helping him, and McDavid, well… he's McDavid. I'm not saying you can't do this on your own, but I can help."

"Uh," Jake says. He thinks of his earlier conversation with Anders, and how Charlie’s timing is almost _too_ perfect - did he have extendable ears in the Great Hall earlier? - but he could use the help, and he had always liked Charlie. He’s always been easy to talk to, and back when Jake was tutoring him, he’d always been willing to learn and ask questions about various potions and ingredients even when Jake knew he didn’t really care. He’s a great Quidditch player as well, and yeah, okay, maybe Jake kind of regrets not keeping in touch with him over the years. "I guess? I don't really have a plan, and my friends are too busy to help me out much, so…"

"Sounds like you need me, then," Charlie smiles.

"Yeah," Jake says, smiling as well. "Maybe I do."

"Should we meet tomorrow at breakfast?" Charlie asks, yawning. "I'm too tired to strategize tonight."

"Sure," Jake says, then pauses, frowning. "Wait, are you sure you have time to do this?"

"What do you mean?" Charlie asks, brow furrowing.

"You have OWLs to study for, and I'm sure you're busy with Quidditch," Jake says.

Charlie shrugs. "I need a distraction from OWLs, man. Studying this much is killing me."

"Oh, I remember," Jake snorts.

"Besides, between you and me, Willy's not that tough of a captain, especially after my first year on the team with Grzelcyk, so Quidditch is no big deal," Charlie says.

"Alright," Jake accepts. "See you at breakfast."

"See you," Charlie says, getting up and heading to the dorms.

Jake tries to go back to his Charms essay, but he doesn’t even get one sentence in before he accidentally writes "Charlie" instead of "charm" and has to scramble to remember the incantation for the white-out charm. Thinking that he must be more tired than he had realized, he decides it's time to call it a night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 7,651

Jake arrives in the Great Hall at his usual time the next morning, but to his surprise, Charlie is already there, sitting with a few boys in his year. Before going to sit with him, Jake stops by Anders' spot at the table, where he would usually sit, to explain why he won't be sitting there today. Anders is, of course, completely understanding, and Jake makes his way over to Charlie, who is laughing at something Matthew Tkachuk just said.

"Hey," Jake says, standing there awkwardly.

"Oh, hey Jake!" Charlie says, sliding over to make room between himself and Clayton Keller, and Jake sits down.

"How's the search going?" Pierre-Luc Dubois, to whom Jake has never actually spoken, asks.

"Fine, I guess," Jake answers. "I'm here to strategize with Charlie, actually."

"Really?" Clayton laughs. "I wouldn't trust him to come up with a plan to finish a homework assignment, never mind win a school competition, but best of luck, and all. And no offense, Charlie."

"None taken," Charlie grins. "Anyway, I guess the plan is to get as many Chocolate Frogs as we can, right? At least to start out."

"Yeah," Jake agrees. "There is the Hogsmeade weekend coming up."

Matt snorts, and Jake turns to him, raising an eyebrow.

"I just think this whole thing is bullshit," Matt says. "Honestly, I'm surprised McGonagall even allowed it. It's just a contest to see who can spend the most money on something completely fucking useless. I thought she was the type of person who understood that not everyone has money to throw away just for House Points, but apparently I was wrong."

Jake is quiet, not quite knowing how to respond, as are the rest of the boys at first. It's Charlie who finally speaks.

“Who cares? It’s not that serious, really.”

No one else at the table says anything, so Charlie gets up to leave, Jake following after him.

Once they're out of the Great Hall, Jake speaks. "What are you doing?"

Charlie doesn't reply, instead grabbing Jake's arm and leading him into an empty classroom. He lets Jake go, closing the door behind them, then sits at a desk, gesturing for Jake to do the same.

"I figured we should talk privately," Charlie explains.

“You don’t think…?” 

“Matt is my friend, and I don’t think he or any of the others would turn on us, but he clearly doesn’t care for the competition and I don’t want to take any chances,” Charlie says.

“Better safe than sorry,” Jake adds.

“Exactly,” Charlie says. “Anyway, you’re right about the Hogsmeade trip this weekend. We’ll have to go straight to Honeydukes and get as many as we can. But I think we should try to get some before that.”

“And how…” Jake trails off. “You want to sneak into Hogsmeade, don’t you?”

Charlie shrugs. “Guilty.”

“Do you know how?” Jake asks, incredulous. “I’ve never even been out after curfew before.”

“Guess I’m a bad influence,” Charlie smirks. “And no, I don’t know how, but Mikey McLeod does. I’ll ask him.”

“What if I say no?” Jake challenges.

“Then I’ll go myself,” Charlie says.

Jake raises an eyebrow. “You’d do that?” Charlie nods, and Jake speaks again. “That’s - wow. I mean, I appreciate it, but I’ll go. I should be the one to do most of the work, you know? It’s only fair.” They’re quiet for a brief moment before Jake gets another idea. “Hey, I don’t know if I ever told you, but I actually finished the original collection before I started at Hogwarts.”

“You didn’t, but the whole school knows,” Charlie says.

“Nylander,” Jake mutters, then speaks up again. “Anyway, when I did that, most of the cards came from my dad. I wonder if he’d be willing to help me out again? For old times’ sake?”

"Go for it," Charlie says.

"I'll send him a letter tonight," Jake says. "You don't think it's cheating, do you? To have someone outside of Hogwarts helping me?"

"Nah," Charlie says. "You've already had help from other students, and this is hardly any different. Besides, I hope you don't think for a second that McDavid's family isn't helping him out, and probably the others as well."

"You’re right,” Jake says.

Through the quiet, Jake can hear the sound of students walking by, and he knows it must be almost time for the first class of the day. 

“Okay, to recap,” Charlie says, getting up. “We’re going to sneak into Hogsmeade as soon as we get the information from Mikey, and after that, we’ll get as many frogs as we can this weekend.”

"Sounds good," Jake says. "Now, I should get to class, but let me know what McLeod says."

"Of course," Charlie says, opening the door and letting Jake exit before following behind him. “See you later,” he calls, walking away.

-

After his morning Herbology class, Jake begins walking to Care of Magical Creatures with Jordan, just like he does every day. On the way there, however, he is stopped by Cayla Barnes, a fourth-year Gryffindor who is the Quidditch team's star Seeker.

"Hey Jake!" She calls, walking over to him. Jake stops, telling Jordan that he can go on ahead, which he does. "How's the search going so far?"

"It's going," Jake says. "I've started planning a little; I'm working with Charlie on it, actually. He offered to help."

"Oh, that's great! Charlie's such a nice guy. Anyway, I just wanted to ask if you've got Hilary Knight yet?"

"No," Jake says. "I haven't."

"Awesome!" Cayla says. She opens her bag, and pulls out a card, then hands it to Jake. "I got this from the last Hogsmeade trip, but I figure you should have it now."

Jake looks down at the card, and sure enough, Hilary Knight is on the front.

> _Best known for setting the world record of fastest catch of the Snitch in only 2.7 seconds, Knight broke Roderick Plumpton’s previous record of 3.5 seconds. She accomplished this feat in a qualifying match for the Quidditch World Cup of 2010, and went on to win the championship after catching the Snitch in just over six minutes._

"Thank you!" Jake says. "Really, it means a lot. I bet she means a lot to you, right?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Cayla says. "She's my idol, but I don't actually need the card, and I can always find another one."

"Once this is all over, if you don't have another one, let me know," Jake says. "I'll give it back."

"Oh, no, you don't have to," Cayla says, and Jake dismisses her.

"I do," he says. "But I need to get to class, and I bet you do too. It was nice talking to you, and thanks again!"

"Of course! No problem," she says, and with that, they go their separate ways.

-

Hagrid lets the class out earlier than usual, so Jake gets to lunch early that day. Jack does too, it turns out, and from across the Great Hall, Jake can see him talking to Oliver Wahlstrom, a third-year Slytherin. He can't hear what they're saying, but he knows they don't normally talk, and at one point in the conversation, Oliver definitely slides something across the table to Jack, and it's something flat.

It turns out Jake isn't the only one getting help from his House.

As classes get out, more students start coming into the Great Hall, and soon, someone sits next to Jake. He thinks the boy looks familiar, but definitely doesn't know him.

"Hi," the boy says. "I think I have a card for you."

"Oh!" Jake says. "Awesome, thanks! Uh, what's your name?"

"Right, I'm Jack Hughes," he says. "I'm a second-year."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Jake DeBrusk, as I guess you already know, and I'm a sixth-year."

"Yeah," Jack smiles. "I know. Here's the card, by the way." He hands the card to Jake, and he sees that it's Hermione Granger Weasley.

> _Weasley (née Granger), known to many as the brightest witch of her age, was a key contributor in the fight against the dark wizard Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War. She is now the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and in addition to her work in the Ministry, she has worked to improve the treatment of house elves._

"She's incredible, isn't she?" Jack asks.

"She is," Jake says. "My mum was a seventh-year when she was a first-year here, and even then she knew how brilliant she was. She was a Hufflepuff, too, yet she still knew who she was."

"Wow," Jack says.

"Anyway, thank you for the card!" Jake says.

With that, Jack goes off to sit with his friends, and soon enough Jake's own friends come to sit with him. He doesn't know how many Gryffindors he can expect to just have the cards he needs, but if they keep helping him out, maybe this competition will be easier than it seems.

-

> _Hi Dad!_
> 
> _I hear the Cannons' season has been going quite well; I hope the commentary has been fun and that you're doing well. I have a feeling that as long as Bell can stay on top of her game, the Cup just might be within reach. If all goes well, playoff commentary is just around the corner!_
> 
> _Jordyn and I haven't spent much time together since break, but on the bright side, we haven't fought at all. I know Mum would be especially proud, ha._
> 
> _As far as I know, the Prophet hasn't covered the latest events at Hogwarts, so I don't suppose you'd know what's going on. This is the reason I'm writing you. Professor McGonagall has organised a competition in which one representative from each House must try to collect all of the newest Chocolate Frog Cards, and I'm representing Gryffindor. I was chosen because I had already decided to try to complete my collection by getting all the new cards, and as you probably remember, gossip travels fast at Hogwarts. The other competitors are Nico Hischier for Hufflepuff, Connor McDavid for Ravenclaw, and Jack Eichel for Slytherin - I don't know whether you know any of their parents, but trust me: the competition is fierce. Thankfully, Gryffindor has my back._
> 
> _I've been working with a fairly new 5th-year friend of mine named Charlie McAvoy; he's Muggle-born, so you wouldn't know his family. He’s helped me out a lot already, as have some other Gryffindors, but I could use all the help I could get. I would really appreciate it if you could send me Chocolate Frogs whenever you can!_
> 
> _Thank you in advance, and I miss you and Mum! Go Cannons!_
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Jake_

-

That night, Jake is finishing up his Charms essay in the common room when Charlie comes over and sits next to him.

"Did you send the letter?" Charlie asks.

"Yeah," Jake confirms. "I did have to give it to a school owl, though, so there's no telling how long it'll take."

Charlie laughs. "Or if it'll get there. You could've used Puck, my owl."

"If only I'd known," Jake shrugs. "Next time, maybe. Have you talked to McLeod?"

"Yes, actually, that's why I came over here," Charlie says. "He told me about this secret passageway that leads straight to Honeydukes' storage room."

"Wow," Jake says. "That's convenient."

"Very," Charlie agrees. "We only have three days before the Hogsmeade trip, though, so when do you want to do it?"

"Tomorrow?" Jake suggests, and Charlie agrees. "Tomorrow it is, then. We can do it right after dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," Charlie says.

-

The next night, Jake sits with Brock, Kyle, and Jordan at dinner in an attempt to avoid drawing suspicion. He tries to be subtle about glancing at Charlie at least twice every minute, but his roommates definitely pick up on it.

"I genuinely can't tell whether you and McAvoy are planning something or if you fancy him," Jordan says eventually, and Jake nearly chokes on his chicken.

"McAvoy's a prankster, but I'd be surprised if Jake got caught up in…" Kyle begins, then trails off. "Wait a second," he says. "You fancy him _and_ you're planning something."

"Guys, come on," Jake whines. "I do not-"

"Save it," Jordan says.

"You're really obvious," Brock adds.

"Fine," Jake sighs. "One of those is correct, but I'm not going to tell you which."

"Ooh, a challenge!" Brock says, high-fiving Jordan.

"I still think it's both," Kyle huffs.

Jake looks over at Charlie again, hoping desperately for a way out of this conversation, and sure enough, Charlie is getting up, saying goodbye to his friends. Of course, Jake has to wait a few minutes to avoid drawing any more suspicion - subtlety during dinner clearly hadn't worked.

"You going to follow after him?" Jordan asks, a smug grin on his face. "Profess your love, perhaps?"

"Or activate the Dungbombs, or Fanged Frisbees, or whatever else you have planned?" Brock adds.

"Or both?" Kyle asks.

"No, seriously, fuck all of you," Jake huffs, getting up and leaving, pretending not to hear the obnoxious hollering coming from his friends. He was supposed to wait longer, but at least he can use his annoyance as an excuse. Once he exits the Great Hall, he sees Charlie standing right by the exit, pretending to admire a nearby portrait so as to look inconspicuous.

"You know," Jake says, approaching him. "We could both use some improvement on the whole 'sneaking around' thing. Never took you for an art lover."

"You're early," Charlie says, turning around to face him. "Let's go, then."

Charlie begins walking away from the Great Hall, and Jake follows.

"I think we would've been less conspicuous if we'd just sat together," Jake says. "My friends gave me all kinds of shit for looking at you."

"Well, if you'd wanted to spend time with me, you could've just asked," Charlie grins.

"Oh, fuck off," Jake laughs. "Where is this secret passage, anyway?"

"You'll see," Charlie says.

Charlie leads him to the grand staircase, and up to the third floor. From there, they walk down the corridor, turning to another, less frequently used corridor, finally stopping at a statue of a one-eyed witch. Charlie looks around to ensure that they aren't being watched, then speaks. "Dissendium," he says softly.

"What?" Jake asks, but before Charlie can respond, the statue shifts to reveal a secret passage.

"Here it is," Charlie says, stepping into the passage. Jake follows him, and is greeted with almost total darkness. They both cast _Lumos_ , allowing them to see what’s in front of them, then watch the statue slide back into place, leaving them alone in the passage. They exchange a glance, Jake privately hoping that the password to open the passage is the same from the inside, then begin walking.

As they walk, they talk about everything that comes to mind - classes, exams, Quidditch, the latest gossip. It seems to Jake that it must take them almost an hour before finally, they reach a wall, and look up to see a trapdoor. Carefully, Jake reaches up to pull the cord, and down comes a set of stairs.

"We made it," Jake says, climbing up, Charlie following. They find themselves in the store room of Honeydukes, and among the many boxes, Jake feels a slight temptation to just find the Chocolate Frog supply and take them, but he knows he could never forgive himself. Instead, he and Charlie silently head to the door, and open it just enough to see out of it. Once they're sure no one will see them, they sneak into the shop, then proceed to look around.

"You boys come from Hogwarts?" A man at the counter, presumably the shop owner, asks, startling them both.

"Yes, sir," Jake admits, while Charlie shakes his head and starts to deny it.

"Been a while since anyone used that passageway. Or at least, a while since they got caught,” the man chuckles. “Well, go on, then. You've only got half an hour until we close, though, so hurry up."

"Of course," Jake says, slightly surprised. "Thank you, sir."

He and Charlie begin to look around, and it doesn't take long before they find the Chocolate Frogs. They begin grabbing as many as they can hold, though there are too many for the two of them. Charlie brings his two handfuls over to the counter, then comes back for more, and Jake copies his motion until they've brought all the Chocolate Frogs in the shop to the counter.

"You boys really plan on buying all of these?" The man asks, raising an eyebrow. "I did get an owl from the Headmistress saying I'd be getting a lot of Chocolate Frog purchases this weekend, though she never did say why. I'm going to guess this is related?"

Jake nods, getting out several galleons to pay for the frogs. The shop owner accepts them without further comment, and this time, Jake and Charlie head into the store room without hiding, the man watching them the whole time.

"Okay," Charlie says once they're back in the dark tunnel. "That was awkward."

"Merlin," Jake says, laughing slightly. "Next time, we need to do this during the day so it'll be more crowded."

"He's always going to know, though," Charlie says. "Ah, whatever. At least he seemed cool with it."

They continue walking, Charlie telling Jake about some of his favorite pranks he's pulled, and they reach the end of the corridor far too quickly.

"Hey," Jake says, stopping Charlie from activating the statue and opening the exit back up. "Why don't we open the Chocolate Frogs here? It'll be much more private than either of our dorms or the Common Room."

"Sure," Charlie agrees easily, shining his wand on the ground to make sure it isn't too dirty before sitting down, and Jake joins him. He dumps out the bag of Chocolate Frogs, and they each begin opening them, scanning the cards, and putting them back in, eating a few along the way, but saving most for later.

"Hold on," Jake says after a while, interrupting Charlie's story about the day he found out he was a wizard. "Sorry," he winces, "but look, I got a new one!"

"Shit," Charlie says, grinning. "Harry Potter? Nice!"

> _Also known as the Boy Who Lived, Potter is famous for having defeated the dark wizard Voldemort in both Wizarding Wars. In the first, he was an infant, and his unprecedented survival of the Killing Curse left him with a scar resembling a lightning bolt on his forehead. In the second, he defeated Voldemort once and for all, restoring peace to the wizarding world. He now works as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic._

"He sounds like the coolest guy, doesn't he?" Charlie asks wistfully.

"Yeah," Jake agrees. "I heard all kinds of stories about him, growing up. But where were you, Bergeron showing up at your door?"

"Right," Charlie says, continuing his story about how Professor Bergeron had consoled his parents, who had taken some convincing to accept that they were not dreaming, only to have to do the same once his sisters came downstairs to see what was going on, and how, after he had left, Charlie had spent the rest of the summer trying to get them to work through their jealousy, something which he admits is still somewhat of a work in progress. Hardly five minutes later, he pauses. "I got one!"

"Who is it?" Jake asks, and Charlie shows him. "Amanda Kessel?" 

> _Former Quidditch player who won the World Cup in 2010, despite still being a student at Hogwarts, Kessel has since retired and is known for being the youngest ever head of a department in the Ministry of Magic. She is the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and is responsible for the implementation of joint research with Muggles on the effects of head trauma._

"She sounds pretty awesome," Jake says once Charlie finishes reading.

"That's putting it lightly," Charlie snorts. "If I don't get to play Quidditch professionally after graduating, I'd love to work for her."

"You're definitely good enough to play," Jake says without thinking, then blushes. "I mean, I've seen your matches, and I always find myself watching you - I mean, you're really good, but, I mean, it's good that you have a backup plan, not that I think you need it, and - I'll just, uh, stop there."

"Thanks," Charlie says, and it's too dark for Jake to tell what his expression is.

"Hey," Jake continues, because no matter how much he wants to just stop embarrassing himself, he can't seem to help it. "My dad played professionally, maybe you'd like to talk to him about it sometime? He was a Chaser, but as a player and especially a commentator, he knows what it takes."

"Yeah," Charlie says, and Jake is pretty sure he's blushing now. "That would be awesome, thanks mate."

"Of course," Jake says, and returns his focus to the frogs. They sit through a slightly awkward silence for a few minutes before Charlie breaks it with talk of the commonality of certain cards, and soon enough, they're back to normal.

They're near the end of the pile when Charlie stops mid-sentence to say that he's found another one.

"Well shit," Jake says, grinning. "Tonight is just our lucky night!"

He looks down to see Professor Longbottom's card, and he begins to wonder how many Hogwarts professors end up on Chocolate Frog Cards.

> _Longbottom was a key contributor in the Second Wizarding War, particularly in the Battle of Hogwarts, during which he destroyed the final of the dark wizard Voldemort’s Horcruxes, allowing him to be killed. Longbottom is a renowned Herbologist who now serves as a professor at Hogwarts._

"I wonder if Professor Longbottom has seen this?" Charlie questions once he finishes reading.

"Should I show him, or do you think he'd tell any of the others?" Jake asks.

"He was a Gryffindor, right?" Charlie shrugs. "I'd assume he'd be loyal to you over the others."

"Maybe, but McDavid is so much better at Herbology, and he actually shows an interest in it," Jake says.

"Yeah, maybe just play it safe," Charlie suggests.

They go back to the frogs, though they're already near the end of the pile, and they don't find any more new cards.

"Three cards is a pretty good haul," Jake says. "I know we both could've worked on homework or something, but I had fun."

"I did, too," Charlie smiles. "And for the record, I would not have done homework if I weren't helping you."

"Are you saying that I've kept you out of trouble for the night?" Jake asks.

Charlie chuckles. “Too early to say that.”

They gather their belongings, Jake electing to take it all back to his dorm, then get up, and Charlie says the password to the statue once again. Thankfully, the same password works from the interior, and the statue moves to allow them access to the corridor. They walk back to the common room in silence, unsure of the time and wanting to avoid detention in case they're out after curfew. By the time they make it back, the clock in the common room indicates that it's been nearly an hour since curfew set in.

"It really _is_ our lucky night," Jake laughs. "I'm surprised we weren't caught."

"The Honeydukes bag would've made matters even worse," Charlie winces. "Though, I must admit, there are much worse punishments than several months of detention with you.”

Without another word, Charlie heads up the stairs to his dorm, leaving Jake standing at the entrance to the common room in shock.

-

A few days later, it's Saturday, and time for the first Hogsmeade trip since the competition began. Jake wakes up earlier than usual, making his way to a nearly empty Great Hall for a solitary breakfast which does little to calm his nerves. There are only a few other Gryffindors present, none of whom he actually knows, though he does see McDavid at the Ravenclaw table, sitting with Mathew Barzal and Travis Dermott and chatting up a storm.

By the time Jake finishes his breakfast, Charlie comes in, looking half-asleep still, and sits with him.

"Morning," he says through a yawn, and Jake greets him as well. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Jake shrugs. "It's kind of a stupid thing to be nervous over, right? Like, I wasn't even this nervous for my OWLs last year."

"Probably because you were prepared for those," Charlie says as he piles bacon onto his plate alongside his fried eggs. "There isn't much you can do to prepare for buying a bunch of Chocolate Frogs other than gathering your money, and you've already done that."

"I just don't know what to expect," Jake says. "Like, is there going to be some kind of mad rush to the Chocolate Frogs, or is it just going to be a normal Hogsmeade weekend?"

“Do you want an honest answer?” Charlie asks, and Jake nods. “I would expect Boxing Day on crack.”

"Oh, Merlin," Jake groans.

Charlie chuckles, taking a bite of his eggs before speaking. "Don't worry too much. If it doesn't go well, at least we know how to sneak in.”

"You're right," Jake sighs, and grabs some more eggs and bacon for himself, not having eaten very much before Charlie arrived due to his nerves. "I'll just get as many as I can, and if I don't get too many, it's not that big of a deal."

"That's the spirit," Charlie says through a mouth full of bacon, and Jake winces.

"Gross," he says, and Charlie laughs, spitting a little bit of bacon across the table, where, thankfully, no one is sitting. Jake laughs as well, feeling his nerves slipping away at last.

-

Rather than assembling all the students in a line in the order in which they show up, the professors decide to hold everyone back until all the students have been approved. This way, Jake supposes, none of them can get to Hogsmeade earlier simply by virtue of having lined up sooner. It does leave him feeling rather antsy, as he stands next to Charlie, not far apart from where Connor stands alone. Nico stands farther away with Cody Glass, Filip Chytil, and Rasmus Dahlin, and Jack stands near him with Auston Matthews, Travis Konecny, and Kasperi Kapanen.

"I guess Hufflepuff and Slytherin really are the most loyal houses," Jake whispers to Charlie.

"And Ravenclaws really are the least loyal," Charlie whispers back.

Once Filch checks off the last student in line - Andrei Svechnikov, who waves at Jake in a show of support - Professor McGonagall raises her arm to indicate that they are allowed to go. Connor immediately runs off, quickly followed by Jake, Charlie, Nico, Jack, and their friends. Jake runs as fast as he can, but none of them are as fast as Connor; by the time Jake reaches Hogsmeade, Connor has already slipped inside Honeydukes, Jack not far behind him. Nico is only slightly ahead of Jake, though he does make it in before him.

Jake finally makes it into Honeydukes, Charlie right behind him, and the others are standing at the Chocolate Frog display, which is much larger than the time Jake and Charlie snuck in. Connor and Jack were both smart enough to bring bags of their own, and Connor's is already just about full. Jack is shoving as many as he can into his bag while his friends push Nico and his friends away, keeping them from getting any frogs. Jake and Charlie run up to the display, standing at the edge so that Jack's friends can't reach them as they manage to grab two handfuls each. It's not as many as last time, but looking at Nico and his friends' empty hands, Jake feels that he could've done worse.

Connor has already finished paying by the time the display is empty, and is walking out the door looking smug while Jack walks up to the counter, his own bag about three quarters of the way full. Jake and Charlie get behind him in line, and the shop owner winks as they walk up to the counter.

"Glad to see you two back," he says as he rings them up. Once they've finished paying, they head for the exit, seeing Nico and his friends approach the counter with just a few Pumpkin Pasties.

"How is McDavid so fast anyway?" Jake asks as they walk, still a little out of breath after running all the way from Hogwarts.

"As someone who's struggled to keep up with him in Quidditch for four years now, I'm not surprised," Charlie replies. "I'm almost glad I only have to play him once a year."

"I could certainly do that for you," the shop owner says in the background, and Jake stops walking, turning to see what's going on. He sees Nico and his friends at the counter, where the shop owner has turned to go to the storage room. Jake looks to Charlie, who is also watching the scene with a look of dread, and sure enough, the shop owner comes back with an entire box of Chocolate Frogs fresh from the storage room, which he gives to Nico in exchange for several Galleons.

"That bloody bastard," Charlie hisses. "We have to go speak to him."

He begins walking towards the counter, but Jake grabs his arm, holding him back, then pulls Charlie away, ducking behind a display of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as Nico and his friends walk by with their box, laughing in delight.

“Wait,” Jake whispers, and Charlie nods reluctantly.

Once they're gone, Jake and Charlie walk back up to the counter.

"Hello, boys," the shop owner greets them.

"Hello, sir," Jake says pleasantly. "I didn't think to ask earlier, but you wouldn't happen to have any more Chocolate Frogs in the back that you could sell to us, would you?"

The man shakes his head. "Sorry, I'm afraid that charming young man and his friends got the rest of my supply. But I'm sure you'll find a way to get more," he winks, walking away from the counter.

"Bloody hell," Charlie says, and Jake shushes him. They head towards the door, having had enough of Honeydukes for the day.

"Okay," Jake says once they exit. "So maybe we didn't get as many frogs as the others. This is fine."

"Yeah," Charlie sighs. "It's just like we discussed at breakfast."

"Let's go find a place to open all of these."

-

They go to the Three Broomsticks first, but after seeing several tables full of Hufflepuffs cheering as Nico opens his frogs, they turn around and keep walking. They try the Hog's Head Inn as well, but Jack and a group of Slytherins have taken residence in there, so they search for another place. Eventually, they decide to just go to Madam Puddifoot's. As embarrassing as it is to walk in there together, it's better than sitting outside in the snow or heading back to Hogwarts early.

"I hate this," Charlie mutters as they're seated at a table in the corner.

Jake looks around, glancing at the pink hearts, flowers, and cherubs everywhere, before seeing Jordan Greenway on the other side of the restaurant, sitting across the table from Kelly Pannek, a seventh-year Ravenclaw. Jordan doesn't seem to have noticed him come in, but if he does, Jake is never going to hear the end of it.

"I couldn't agree more," Jake sighs. "At least we can go through the frogs in here."

They each order a cup of tea, and while they sip on it, they open all of the frogs, once again only eating a few of them and saving the rest for later, though Jake has a sneaking suspicion that he's never going to get to all of them before they either expire or escape their boxes somehow. It doesn't take as long as the last time, since there aren't nearly as many frogs. They've nearly made it through all the cards when Jake finally finds a new one.

> _Yzerman is a popular singer among wizards and witches, and is most well-known for being the first to truly break into the Muggle mainstream. His albums tell wild tales of battles with magical creatures and curses, many of which are based on accounts by Gilderoy Lockhart, yet Yzerman has convinced the Muggle public that they are merely concept albums telling fictional stories._

"No way," Charlie laughs once Jake finishes reading the description. "Steve Yzerman has his own Chocolate Frog Card?"

"I guess I haven't shown you the list, have I?" Jake asks. "I'll have to do that later."

"It's hilarious to me that this card gives the impression that Muggles think his music is just oh-so- _magical_ ," Charlie laughs. "My parents absolutely hate him."

"Seriously?" Jake balks. "Steve Yzerman is a bloody legend. My dad has all his albums on vinyl, and I grew up listening to him. What _do_ your parents like?"

"Actual Muggle music, mostly," Charlie says. "You wouldn't know it, I suppose."

"I _am_ a half-blood," Jake reminds him. "My mum's Muggle-born, so I know plenty of Muggle music. Try me."

"Alright," Charlie begins. "Just to name a few: the Beatles, Styx, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin."

"Okay," Jake laughs. "I see how it is. Your parents are that brand of pretentious people who only like classic rock and can't be bothered to appreciate pop music, right?"

"Aren't the Beatles kind of pop, though?" Charlie asks. "Either way, you're not entirely wrong. But come on, mate. Steve Yzerman is everything that's wrong with pop music."

"Charlie," Jake scoffs.

"He is!" Charlie insists. "I mean, I'll admit that Starcrossed is a half-decent song, just because it's so catchy, but everything else is just so repetitive, and the lyrics are so dumb."

"You take that back," Jake warns, and Charlie just laughs.

They continue to chat for hours, the overly romantic atmosphere and the possibility of being seen no longer bothering Jake as he gets lost in their conversation. Several cups of tea later, Madam Puddifoot comes over to give them the bill, and Charlie pays for them both despite Jake insisting that he pay for himself. Madam Puddifoot smiles warmly at them, and though she doesn't say anything, Jake remembers what this must look like to everyone else in the room. He's thankful that Jordan seems to have already left, and he can't see anyone else he knows.

As he and Charlie head back outside, Jake allows himself to think about what it would be like if he had actually been there on a date with Charlie. Would it really be any different? To everyone else who had seen them, it probably wouldn't be. They hadn't held hands, or kissed, or looked longingly into each other's eyes, but they'd made pleasant conversation all afternoon, and neither of them had grown bored or lost focus on the other. If it _had_ been a date, would it have even gone so well, or would the conversation have been awkward, even forced?

Most importantly, Jake thinks: why is he so fixated on this hypothetical date with Charlie? Sure, maybe he wouldn't be opposed to dating Charlie, but that's just because he's a fun guy to be around, and he makes Jake feel invincible, and encourages him to take risks, and is electric to watch on the Quidditch pitch, and when he smiles, it's like the sun breaking through the clouds on a stormy day, except it happens a lot more often, and Jake's heart can hardly take it, and -

"Jake?" Charlie says, and Jake snaps out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"I was asking if you wanted to head back to the castle and get dinner," Charlie says, an eyebrow raised. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Jake answers. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Charlie asks.

Jake pauses, not wanting to admit the truth. "Chocolate Frogs, mostly."

Charlie wraps an arm around Jake, and he finds himself leaning into the touch, kind of wanting to kiss Charlie right now - and where _that_ came from, Jake doesn’t know. He has to struggle to pay attention to what Charlie is actually saying.

“...sneak into Hogsmeade again, or I’ll just do it. We’ll be fine.”

Jake shakes his head. “But McDavid and Hischier-”

“We’ll catch up,” Charlie promises, even though he can’t know that. He pulls his arm back, patting Jake lightly on the shoulder first, and Jake feels a chill come over him in the spot where Charlie’s arm had just been.

-

At breakfast Monday morning, Jake receives a reply from his father.

> _Hi Jake,_
> 
> _Glad to hear from you, though you never do seem to bring up how school's actually going in your letters. As for the Cannons, well, we shall see. The last game didn't go so well, as you may have heard!_
> 
> _I must say that I'm surprised Professor McGonagall would have organised such a thing. She must have changed since my days at Hogwarts, but that was a long time ago! Back in my day, there was always something dangerous going on, and that was even a few years before Harry Potter came along! Things must have become pretty boring for her to want to make some changes. Or maybe spending so much time with Dumbledore's portrait is getting to her - I imagine it'd get to me!_
> 
> _This competition seems safer than most others, though, so I'm glad you're participating. It'll be good for you to get some competition in your life! The McDavids are a real smart, well-connected bunch, so he won't be easy to beat. There's a Hischier on the Swiss national Quidditch team, wonder if there's any relation? Too young to be his father, maybe a brother? But watch out for that Eichel kid, if he's anything like his uncle. That bloke was nothing but trouble._
> 
> _I'd be glad to help you out, of course, as you've probably already noticed since you already opened the package. Knowing you, you probably ate all the candy before you even read this letter, but on the off chance you didn't, don't eat it all at once!_
> 
> _Let me know how it goes._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Dad_

Attached is a bundle of Chocolate Frogs, and, despite what his father may have thought, Jake does read the letter before eating any. Still, he ignores his father's advice and begins eating them; there aren't that many, really, and the chocolate will probably help keep him awake during Charms. He does enjoy the class, but it's too early in the morning, and he had been too distracted by thoughts of finding the next card, the upcoming Transfiguration exam, and Charlie to get much sleep last night.

He doesn't actually end up eating them all, only because Anders sits beside him and takes half the frogs that are left. Jake doesn't protest, as he knows it's probably for the best, and it's not as if he hasn’t stolen Anders' candy before.

"Jake," Anders says, or at least, that's what Jake thinks he says; it's a little hard to tell with his mouth full of chocolate. He hands a card to Jake and swallows. "I got one!"

Jake looks down, and sees that Anders really did get a new card; this time, it's Meghan Duggan.

> _Duggan is best known as the founder, current captain, and Chaser of the Limerick Lions, the second all-female Quidditch team in the British and Irish Quidditch League. Duggan says that she founded the team due to her belief that having just one all-female team made it into nothing more than a gimmick; her comment famously sparked a rivalry with the Holyhead Harpies which is now known as one of the fiercest in all of Quidditch._

"Figures you'd find her, since you're both Chasers," Jake says. "I'd say nice work, but the card is really from my dad, so."

"I still contributed," Anders says with a smirk.

"Fine," Jake agrees, rolling his eyes.

"How'd the Hogsmeade trip go?" Anders asks. "Charlie told me at practice yesterday that he had a lot of fun."

"Did he?" Jake says, trying not to blush. He _really_ doesn't want to try to explain his feelings about Charlie to Anders, not when he isn't even sure of them himself. "It was fine, I suppose. We didn't do as well as the others, really, but I got a new card, so it’s okay."

"We, huh? You and Charlie are that close already?" Anders asks, and this time, Jake does blush.

"I suppose we are," he says. "He's really been helping me out, though."

"If he tries to _help you out_ in any other way, just let me know and I'll show him my Body-Bind Curse," Anders says, grinning, and Jake blushes even harder.

"Shut the fuck up," he says, laughing. "You're so annoying."

"But you aren't denying it! Really, if he's anywhere near as bad in bed as Vrana-"

"Bjork, seriously, I will leave this table," Jake says.

"Alright, alright," Anders says, holding his hands up. "If you're going to be boring, then fine. What're the ingredients of Amortentia again?"

-

The next day passes uneventfully, and Jake is frustrated. He knows he can't actually expect to get a new card every day - not even close - but ever since the Hogsmeade trip, he's felt behind, like he must be in last place in the competition. It's late in the afternoon, and he's trying to work on his Transfiguration essay, but he just can't seem to focus.

Typically, when Jake has trouble focusing on his homework, he'll go for a walk around the castle, so that is exactly what he does. He has no plan or destination; he just walks. Soon enough, however, he finds himself in a deserted corridor, standing in front of a statue of a one-eyed witch.

He must stand there for ten minutes, deliberating. It's a bad decision, he knows; no one would know where he is, he'd miss dinner, he wouldn't get his essay done, he didn't even have enough money on him for more than about twenty frogs.

Jake wills himself to turn around, but instead, he finds himself muttering "Dissendium", watching the statue slide over to allow him to pass through, and lighting up his wand as he begins to walk once again.

As much time as Jake spent trying to convince himself not to do it, there is one thing that could go wrong that he hadn't even considered. He realizes this about halfway into his walk, when he senses another light behind him, and turns around to see the light of a wand in the distance.

Someone else is using the passage.

Jake turns around, walking faster, wanting to see who it is - at best, he figures, Mikey McLeod or Charlie, and at worst, one of the other competitors. The other person must do the same, because seconds later, they're standing right in front of each other. Jake moves his wand so that he can see the person's face, and it's not at all who he had been expecting to see.

"Oh, hey," Jake says. It's Nolan Patrick, a fourth-year Gryffindor. Jake has never spoken to him, but he had always seemed like a good guy; maybe he's going to Hogsmeade to get some frogs for Jake to help out his House. "I didn't know you-"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

In an instant, Jake's body drops to the ground with a painful thud. He tries to get up, but no matter how much he tries, he can't move. He tries to lift a finger, turn his head, speak, even, but all he can manage is to move his eyes. Paralyzed, helpless, he watches as Nolan runs down the tunnel, the light fading as he gets farther and farther away. Jake's own light has gone out already, his wand lying a few meters away, having rolled after he dropped it.

He's alone, now, in total darkness, unable to move.

Jake tries using the counter curse nonverbally, but he's never been able to use nonverbal magic before, and nothing seems to have changed. He's stuck.

At least Nolan had gone to Hogsmeade. That means he'll have to come back through the tunnel to get back to Hogwarts. Surely, Jake reasons, he won't just leave Jake there. He'll have to use the counter curse to revive him - otherwise, people will notice that Jake is missing, and eventually, someone will find him in the tunnel - Charlie, maybe, or Mikey - or Nolan will confess. Depending on how long that takes, if Jake is killed, he might even go to Azkaban; he won't want to risk that.

Oh, Merlin, what if he leaves Jake to die? What if no one finds him in time?

 _No_ , Jake tells himself. _Calm down_.

If Nolan planned on killing him, he'd have just cast the killing curse. Right?

 _Right_ , Jake tells himself fiercely. He can't afford to go down that path just yet. Not when Nolan still has to return - oh, Merlin, what is Jake going to do when he returns?

If he _does_ use the counter curse - _which he will_ , Jake reminds himself - should Jake attack him? Threaten him?

But what can he do? He can't leave Nolan in the passage for the same reason Nolan can't leave him in the passage - if anyone finds out about the passage, neither of them can sneak away to Hogsmeade again.

And - Jake realizes suddenly - that's exactly what Nolan is counting on: that Jake will never tell anyone what Nolan did to him to protect the secret passage.

He won't be able to tell any of the professors, then. Not without implicating himself and sealing off the passage. He’s just going to have to stay quiet - if he even gets out of here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 8,214

Jake doesn't know how long he lies on the hard, cracked floor, rocks pressing painfully into his back, waiting for his attacker to return. It feels like days, left alone, paralyzed, hungry, with nothing but his thoughts to occupy him. In reality, he knows it can't be more than a few hours, and probably less than that.  
  
Eventually, however, a light does appear, and Nolan does return, stopping right in front of Jake's body. He leans down, picking up Jake's wand, and Jake feels a ripple of fear course through him. It's demeaning, he thinks, to be scared of a fifteen-year-old with perpetually rosy cheeks and an overgrown mullet, but that's the situation he's found himself in. Probably for the first time in his life, Jake really wishes he were writing his Transfiguration essay right now.  
  
Or eating, his stomach reminds him, as he must have already missed dinner.  
  
"You know if you tell anyone, this passage will be blocked off, right?" Nolan's voice indicates that he's asking a question, but Jake doesn't reply, still unable to move his mouth, or anything else.  
  
Nolan steps over Jake's body, and Jake feels another pang of fear - he could still leave him here. Instead, Nolan casts the counter curse, kicks Jake in the ribs, and runs away, Jake's wand still in his hand.  
  
Jake coughs, his hands flying to his side, and shuts his eyes, crying out. He tries to find relief in the fact that he can move again, but the pain is so great that he knows he won't be able to stand just yet. By the time it fades enough for him to open his eyes again, he's back in complete darkness, the light of Nolan's wand long gone.  
  
He sits up, still holding his side, and soon enough, the pain has cleared enough that he gets up, able to walk once again. His legs feel a little numb, still, from being paralyzed for several hours, and his back is throbbing from the rocks that were digging into it, but he takes a few short steps in the direction of Hogwarts, and keeps going, one after the other, until walking becomes easy again. He still can't see anything, but he walks slowly, holding out a hand in front of him so that he'll feel the statue when he reaches the end of the tunnel.  
  
Eventually, he does reach the end. He clears his throat, says the password, and walks through the opening into the corridor. The lights are dimmed, and he knows instantly that it's past curfew once again.  
  
-

For the first time tonight, luck is on his side, and Jake makes it back to the Gryffindor common room without incident. As soon as he enters, Matthew Tkachuk puts down his textbook and rushes over to him.  
  
"DeBrusk," he says, "Charlie's been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?"  
  
Jake opens his mouth, ready to reply, then sees Nolan across the room, sitting with Mikey McLeod and Jack Studnicka, talking and laughing like nothing happened. He feels a wave of anger come over him, suddenly, and he knows that he has to get out of here.  
  
"Where is he?" Jake asks.  
  
"I don't know, he was looking for you and he's not back yet," Matt answers.  
  
Jake turns around and walks back through the portrait, ignoring Matt calling after him. He turns in the opposite direction from which he came, then begins walking, trying to find Charlie without being found by a professor or prefect.  
  
He doesn't have to walk long, however, before he hears footsteps coming from the direction in which he's walking. Acting quickly, Jake sneaks into an empty classroom, positioning himself so that he can see who's walking by. As the footsteps draw closer, he can see the light of a wand, and Jake realizes two things: one, that he still doesn't have his wand back, and two, that there are two people approaching. He keeps watching, and sees Professor Bergeron and Charlie.  
  
Well, at least he didn't have to go far to find Charlie.  
  
As they pass the classroom in which Jake is hiding, he hears Bergeron say something about detention, and he feels a rush of guilt. He knows that it doesn't make sense for him to feel guilty; he didn't choose to be left paralyzed in a tunnel all evening, but he still feels like it's his fault that Charlie got caught out after curfew. He had been looking for Jake, after all. If he had just stopped himself from going into the tunnel in the first place - but there's no use thinking like that. Charlie's had detention before; he can handle it, and it was his decision to go out looking for Jake. He could've notified a professor that Jake might be missing, though Jake knows that wouldn't have done any good, rather than go looking for him alone.  
  
Jake waits in the classroom for a while, wanting to go after Charlie immediately, but not wanting to risk being caught by Bergeron. Eventually, Bergeron walks by the classroom again, and once he's long gone, Jake walks out. Cautiously, he makes his way back to the Gryffindor common room, and enters for the second time that night.  
  
When he does, he sees Charlie sitting on a couch with Matt. Charlie looks anxious, and it hurts to see him like that, but as soon as he looks up and sees Jake enter the common room, his face lights up, and Jake finds himself smiling for the first time in hours. Charlie gets up, running over to him, and pulls him into a tight hug which Jake returns.  
  
After a moment, Charlie lets go, and speaks at last. "I was worried about you," he admits. "When you weren't at dinner-"  
  
"I'm sorry," Jake says softly, and Charlie raises an eyebrow in question. "About your detention."  
  
"How do you know…?"  
  
Jake looks around the common room, and is pleased to see that it's empty; Matt must have gone to bed, and if anyone else was there when Jake walked in, Matt must have convinced them to do the same. Jake heads back to the couch where Charlie was sitting with Matt, gesturing to Charlie to follow him, and they sit down. He leans back, resting his head on Charlie's shoulder, and Charlie wraps an arm around him once again. Jake wonders whether this is really strictly platonic, but shoves those thoughts aside to tell Charlie all about his day, beginning with his struggles with his essay and the decision to go to Hogsmeade.  
  
"You went to Hogsmeade alone?" Charlie asks, a puzzled expression on his face. "Where are the frogs, then?"  
  
Jake shushes him, detailing his encounter with Nolan, and Charlie interrupts him again, livid.  
  
"He did _what_ to you?"  
  
"It's okay," Jake says, then reconsiders. "I mean, it's not okay, at all, but I'm fine now."  
  
"Wait," Charlie says, voice rising, and Jake tells him to quiet down. "How long did he leave you there?"  
  
"I don't know," Jake admits. "By the time he came back, it felt like it had been hours. He took my wand, stepped over me, used the counter curse, then kicked me so I couldn't chase after him, and ran away."  
  
Charlie closes his eyes and takes a deep breath; Jake figures he's trying not to wake everyone in Gryffindor. When he finally does respond, he's quiet, but Jake can hear his voice shake with anger. "So he assaulted you, left you lying on the ground for hours, kicked you, and took your wand."  
  
"I still don't have my wand," Jake says.  
  
"I want to kill him," Charlie hisses, and Jake starts to speak, but Charlie interrupts him. "Fuck, Jake, are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Reasonably okay," Jake amends. "I'm comfortable now, so my back is starting to feel better, anyway."  
  
"Oh, Merlin," Charlie says. "You missed dinner, fuck, you must be starving."  
  
"Yeah," Jake admits. "I have so many Chocolate Frogs, though. It's not really healthy, but it's good enough."  
  
"No, Jake, I know how to get into the kitchens-"  
  
"I don't want you getting another detention," Jake says.  
  
"But-" Jake glares, and Charlie sighs. "Fine," he agrees reluctantly.  
  
"Just let me finish," Jake says, and Charlie nods, so he does, telling Charlie how he went to search for him and followed him back to the common room.  
  
Charlie takes in the rest of the story without interruption, and when Jake finishes, he's the first to speak. "What are you going to do about Patrick?"  
  
Jake sighs. "Nothing."  
  
"What?" Charlie balks, and Jake shushes him once again. "You have to tell a professor."  
  
"I can't," Jake says. "They'll find out about the secret passage and shut it down."  
  
"Fuck," Charlie breathes. "Wait, what if you just lie and say it happened somewhere else?"  
  
Jake considers, then shakes his head. "I don't think so. They'd want a reason as to why he cursed me, and what would either of us say?"  
  
Charlie sighs. "I just don't want him to get away with this."  
  
"He won't," Jake says, and Charlie perks up a little. "I don't want to do anything now, while the competition is going on, because if we get caught, it'll be a lot harder to win this thing. But later - next year, if we have to - we can make our own justice."  
  
"I like it," Charlie says, a faint smile appearing on his face, and Jake's heart feels just a little lighter at the sight of it. "I don't want to wait, but you have a point."  
  
"Why do you think he cursed me, anyway?" Jake asks. "At first, I thought maybe he was going to Hogsmeade to help me." He laughs bitterly. "Of course, I was wrong. But I guess he must be helping one of the other participants; he did have a bag from Honeydukes when he came back."  
  
"He's really close to Nico Hischier," Charlie says. "You know, I always thought he was a nice guy. We were never friends, but we talked sometimes, and I - I liked him, you know? I never would've imagined-"  
  
"I wouldn't have either," Jake says. "I guess some people just surprise you."  
  
They sit in silence for a while, Jake still wrapped in Charlie's arms, feeling warm and secure at last. He's hungry and tired and he knows it can't last much longer, but he never wants to let this feeling go.  
  
"Promise me something," Charlie says softly, several minutes later. Jake hums, signaling him to continue. "Promise me you'll never go off to Hogsmeade alone again, or at least not while this competition's still going. Just ask me and I will always go with you."  
  
"I promise," Jake whispers.  
  
They return to silence for a moment, Charlie now running his fingers through Jake's hair soothingly, but this time, it's Jake who speaks.  
  
"Why are you helping me with this competition, anyway?"  
  
Charlie's fingers still, and Jake finds himself missing the touch.  
  
"I figured it would be a good way to make up for all the House Points I've lost over the years," Charlie says.  
  
"And that's all?" Charlie is quiet, so Jake continues. "You're not the only Gryffindor who's lost a lot of House Points, but you're the only one who's given me this much help."  
  
Charlie sighs. "I'm not supposed to tell you, or anyone."  
  
"I promise I won't tell," Jake says.  
  
"Professor Ruggiero held me after class that day, and, uh, heavily suggested that I help you. She didn't tell me exactly what was happening, just that there was going to be a ceremony that night that would give me a huge opportunity to make up for all the House Points I've lost," Charlie explains. "I mean, she made it clear that I didn't _have_ to do this, but, I don't know, I've always liked you - I mean - you know, you saved my life in Potions, and you've always been such a great guy, and I just wanted to help you out, you know? Like, no offense, because I know you're friends and all, but if William Nylander were representing Gryffindor in this thing, I wouldn't have offered to help him out."  
  
"I'm touched," Jake says, trying to hide the pounding of his heart. He knows Charlie didn't really mean to sound like _that_ \- or did he?  
  
"You should probably get some rest," Charlie says softly, pulling away, and just like that, the moment is over. He gets up, offering Jake a hand, which he takes gratefully. "Goodnight, Jake," he says. "Let me know if you need anything."  
  
"Goodnight, Charlie," Jake returns. "And thank you. For everything."

-

Jake finds his wand lying on his bed that night, and it's a relief to know he won't have to storm into Nolan's room and demand he give it back. Having his wand does make the next day of classes much easier, and by the time his afternoon Potions class ends, nothing particularly noteworthy has happened. He felt the same way the previous day, of course, and that didn't end well. Today, Jake resolves, he will finish his Transfiguration essay - it is due tomorrow, after all - and nothing else.

Just as he did yesterday, Jake enters the common room, finds a seat in a relatively quiet corner, pulls out his parchment and quill, and gets to work. Unlike yesterday, however, he actually gets a few paragraphs written, and unlike yesterday, after a while, someone approaches him tentatively.

"Um," a voice says, and Jake looks up to see Urho Vaakanainen, a fourth-year - someone who shares a dorm with Nolan Patrick, his mind supplies unhelpfully. "Jake?"

"Hi," Jake says, putting his quill down. "You're Urho, right?"

Urho's face lights up, and Jake can tell the kid didn't expect to be recognized. "Yes," he says, smiling. "I have something for you." He reaches into his bag, and Jake watches as he pulls out a Chocolate Frog Card. "I got it in a package from my parents. You don't have this one, do you?" He hands the card to Jake, who looks down to see that it's Sergei Fedorov.

> _Born in the former Soviet Union, Fedorov defected at the age of eleven to study at Hogwarts, becoming the youngest known person to ever do such a thing independently as well as the first known Russian-born student to ever study at Hogwarts. Later in life, he became the first head of a department in the Ministry of Magic to not have been born in the U.K. or Ireland when he was appointed Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation._

"No, I don't have this one," Jake answers. "Thank you, Urho."

Urho smiles once again, even wider this time. "I'm happy to help," he says, and walks away, leaving Jake alone again. He looks back down at the card, thinking Fedorov must have been a Gryffindor, then puts it away, turning back to his essay.

-

Jake does finish his essay that afternoon, and he sits down in the Great Hall feeling accomplished. He sits with Anders and Willy, and it doesn't take long for their conversation to turn to the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin. It's too many weeks away for Jake to care just yet, so he lets his eyes wander, observing the students. Charlie is sitting with Matt, Clayton, and Pierre-Luc, all of them laughing; Urho is sitting with Lias Andersson and some other younger students Jake doesn't recognize.

At the end of the table, Jake finds the person he was really looking for. Nolan is sitting with Casey Mittelstadt and Cayla Barnes, though, as Jake continues watching him, he sees that Nolan keeps glancing over at the Hufflepuff table, presumably to look at Nico. Nico is sitting with a group of Hufflepuffs, but Jake notices that he doesn't seem to be talking very much, and after a moment, Nico turns right to Jake and smiles.

Does Nico not know, or does he just not care?

Jake looks away, but before he can even focus on what Willy is saying, he hears a scream from the end of the Gryffindor table, and the Great Hall goes quiet. Jake whips his head back around, and sees immediately that the scream had come from Nolan. The reason for his scream becomes clear as soon as Jake looks at him: his head has been encased in a giant pumpkin.

Laughter erupts from many of the students, and Nolan gets up from the table, running out of the Great Hall as everyone watches. A few of the professors go after him, while the rest stand up, Professor McGonagall calling order to try to determine who is responsible for casting the jinx.

Jake looks back at the Hufflepuff table for a second. Nico catches his eye once again, and this time, he winks.

-

The professors eventually determine that the jinx must have come from the Hufflepuff table, so the rest of the students are dismissed while the Hufflepuffs are forced to stay behind. Jake heads back to the common room with the rest of his house, and as they walk, Charlie catches up to him.

"Who do you think did it?" Charlie asks. "I thought it was you at first, but you looked shocked."

"I know who did it," Jake says. He looks around, making sure no one else is listening, then lowers his voice anyway. "It was Nico."

"Seriously?" Charlie exclaims. "I thought-"

"I know," Jake interjects. "I guess Nolan must've told him, and Nico didn't like it."

"He's a good guy, then," Charlie says. "I mean, him and Nolan are really close; I honestly kind of thought they were dating, but the timing - you must be right."

"Well, he winked at me right after it happened, and he didn't look surprised or concerned at all," Jake says. "I'll have to talk to him."

"Do you still want to plan your own revenge?" Charlie asks.

Jake shrugs. "I don't know, public humiliation seems good enough, as long as he doesn't try anything else."

Charlie nods. Shortly afterward, they reach the entrance to the common room, and once everyone has entered, Jake manages to snag them two recliners near the fireplace.

"Oh, by the way, you remember what Matt said the first time we tried strategizing, right?" Charlie asks after they've settled in.

"Yeah," Jake says. "Something about the competition being about money and him being shocked McGonagall would allow it, right?"

"That's it," Charlie confirms. "See, at first, I thought he was just complaining, because, well, he does that a lot, and his family isn't too well-off, plus he does have two younger siblings, so it makes sense. I dismissed it, but then he brought it up again at dinner today, before the whole Patrick thing happened, and it got me thinking - what if he's right?"

"About the competition being bullshit?" Jake asks.

"No, no," Charlie says. "About McGonagall never allowing something that relies so heavily on money. I mean, he has a point. Maybe there is something more to it?"

"Hm," Jake considers. "Maybe. But what?"

"I have no idea," Charlie says.

They sit in silence for a while, each working on homework, punctuated only by the muted conversations of the other students, the crackling of the fireplace, and Charlie occasionally asking Jake questions about potion ingredients. Jake finishes his homework before Charlie, and since he doesn't want to leave him or bother him, he lets his mind wander. He thinks about what Charlie said earlier, about whether there really is something more to the competition.

When he completed the original collection, there wasn't anything more to it; he just kept opening Chocolate Frogs and keeping the cards until, eventually, he had every card on the list.

But - Jake thinks, sitting up as he comes to a realization - the frogs didn't all come from Honeydukes.

"It's the location," he blurts out, and Charlie looks up from his homework. Jake looks around, making sure no one else is listening, and continues. "When I got all the cards before, they came from my dad, and he travels all over. Notice all the packages that have come from elsewhere - my dad, Urho's parents, Andrei's parents - have had new cards? We aren't going to win by just getting cards from Honeydukes."

"Bloody hell," Charlie breathes. "Where did your dad get the cards?"

"All over the U.K.," Jake replies. "Sometimes elsewhere in Europe, too."

"We're going to have to travel," Charlie says.

"How?" Jake asks. "My Apparition class just started last week, and I won't be able to get my license until the end of April."

"Three months away," Charlie says. "Fuck."

"We could ask for help from some of the Europeans," Jake suggests. "Andrei and Urho have helped me out before. Maybe Lias?"

"I don't know how much we can rely on them, but it's a start," Charlie says. "What about Nylander?"

"I don't know," Jake says. "He's one of my best friends, but he's always stayed at Hogwarts over the holidays, and he never talks about his parents."

"I have Astronomy with his brother, Alex. We don't really talk, but I did a group project with him and Lupin once, and he told me his father works at Durmstrang," Charlie says.

"Guess he's more open than his brother," Jake snorts. "There's a wizarding village there. In fact, one of the cards I need is Jaromir Jagr. I read a book on him once, and he went to Durmstrang."

"So," Charlie finishes, "if his card is a regional exclusive, it'll be in that area. Or wherever he’s from, I suppose."

"Exactly," Jake says. "I'll have to ask Willy, then. He’s from the Czech Republic, and I don’t think Pasta would be willing to help me out.”

“Better hope his card’s in Sweden, then,” Charlie says.

“But we still need a plan for how we can travel, if necessary. I bet the others aren't going to try that,” Jake says.

"With Hischier, nothing would surprise me at this point," Charlie chuckles. "What about Floo powder?"

Jake shakes his head. "The fireplaces at Hogwarts aren't connected, and there aren't any public ones in Hogsmeade. Besides, my mum told me that only exists in the U.K. - she works for the Department of Magical Transportation."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to fly a broom across Europe?" Charlie grins, and Jake shakes his head. "Your mum must know how to connect a fireplace though, right? We could still try other shops in the U.K."

"No," Jake laughs. "My mum would never allow that."

"I guess our best hope is to keep getting post and sneaking to Hogsmeade and just hope no one else finishes the collection before you get your license," Charlie sighs.

"Well, on the bright side, if travel to Europe really is necessary, I don't see how any of the others would finish it before me," Jake says. "Though if Hischier's parents are helping him, too, that might be an advantage."

Charlie laughs, and Jake raises an eyebrow. "It's just that going into this, I really thought Jack and McDavid were going to be our biggest competitors. It's always the ones you least expect, I suppose," he explains.

Jake shrugs. "Nico did start collecting even before I did, so I guess he's dedicated. I think Eichel and McDavid are more interested in outdoing each other than Hischier or me."

"Or just doing each other,” Charlie says, and they both laugh. “You ever find out why they hate each other so much?"

"Something about McDavid's broom breaking, each blaming it on the other, and unresolved sexual tension?" Jake shrugs.

"All of that, not that they'll admit the last part, and the Quidditch rivalry, plus - don't tell anyone, especially Nylander, but McDavid's mum is the Auror who busted Jack's uncle. I don't know what he did, but he's in Azkaban, and I think he and Jack were close before it happened."

"Bloody hell," Jake whispers. "I had no idea."

"Jack doesn't want people to know," Charlie says. "I feel kind of bad for telling you, but he already thinks I've betrayed him by helping you, which is ridiculous, since you and I are in the same house, so fuck him."

"Seriously?" Jake balks. "That's fucked up."

"I know," Charlie says, then waves a hand. "I'm sure he'll come around when this is all over. He just gets so competitive that he forgets what's important, you know?"

"No," Jake says, "but if it makes you feel better, Pasta won't talk to me either. He hasn't said anything, but every time I try to talk to him he makes an excuse and gets away. He's a seventh-year, too, so I won't get to see him at all next year."

"I'm sorry," Charlie says.

"Don't be," Jake shrugs. "Brandon Carlo still talks to me, and he's a Hufflepuff, so I guess Pasta's just being overly cautious."

"Or a dick," Charlie suggests.

"Or that," Jake agrees, then yawns.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Charlie says, and Jake nods.

"Goodnight, Charlie," he says. "I have Apparition class tomorrow, but I'll talk to Willy as soon as I can."

"Goodnight," Charlie says. "Pay attention; if you get your license it might save our arses later on."  
-

"We need to talk," Anders says as Jake joins him at lunch. He looks unusually serious, not even a trace of a smile on his face, and Jake doesn't like it.  
  
Jake holds a hand up to his heart and gasps. "Are you breaking up with me?"  
  
Anders chuckles. "Yeah, I just wanted to tell you that I'm replacing you with Donato effective immediately."  
  
"Donato?" Jake asks, raising an eyebrow. "What, is he going to tutor you?"  
  
"Ha, ha," Anders says, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, Jake, what is up with you and Charlie?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You were all weird when we were talking about him the other day, and you spend way too much time with him. You fancy him, don't you?"  
  
Jake is glad he hasn't taken a bite of his food yet, because if he had, he'd be choking on it now. Instead, he starts coughing, and he feels his cheeks heat up.  
  
"You don't even have to answer that question," Anders says, smirking. "You gonna go for it?"  
  
"What the fuck," Jake says. "I don't - I mean - I haven't-"  
  
"Stop, stop," Anders cuts in. "Finish a fucking sentence, mate."  
  
Jake takes a deep breath. "I don't know what I feel."  
  
"Really?" Anders asks. "Seems pretty obvious to me. I say you make a move. Ask him out. Valentine's is coming up."  
  
"Anders…"  
  
"Don't be a baby," Anders says. "If you don't know what you feel, then fine. Don't ever call _me_ an idiot again, but fine. Hurry up and figure it the hell out and when you do, ask him on a date."  
  
-  
  
Jake tries to focus in Defense, he really does, but as interesting as Professor Marchand's lesson probably is, all he can think about is his conversation with Anders. _Does_ he have feelings for Charlie? He doesn't think he does, but Anders is clearly convinced. If it were just Anders, Jake would brush it off as his friend being a dumbass; he's still convinced that Connor and Jack are faking their rivalry to gain popularity, which not even Willy believes, so it's not as if his beliefs have that much value. However, it's not just Anders; his roommates have already made the same observation, and as much as Jake has tried to forget about that, he hasn’t. And sure, yeah, maybe he's been thinking about Charlie a lot, lately, to the point that he's distracted in class because he can't wait to see him later, and there was that time in Madam Puddifoot's, and, really, Jake would be lying if he said he doesn't find Charlie attractive. But that doesn't mean anything. Right?  
  
Before Jake can come to a conclusion about his feelings, Professor Marchand dismisses the class. Jake gathers his things, heading out of the classroom. He could ask Brandon for notes, but he'd have to say why he didn't get any of his own. Most of his friends are already overly involved in his possible love life; he really doesn't want Brandon getting involved, too, even if he would probably be nicer about it than everyone else.  
  
So, Jake goes to the library, intending to study the curse Marchand had been teaching the class about. He's always been good at Defense; it shouldn't be too much work to teach it to himself. Jake finds a seat and opens his textbook, but before he starts reading, he feels someone watching him. He looks up and sees that it’s Nico, sitting a few tables away from him. Jake catches his eye, and Nico takes a moment to look away. Once he does, Jake leaves his textbook and gets up, making his way over to Nico.  
  
“Hey,” he says.  
  
"Uh, hi," Nico says. "What's up?"  
  
“What you did to Nolan - that was cool of you," Jake says. "I know he’s your best friend and all, but - thank you.”  
  
Nico sighs. "I really didn't do this for you. I told him not to help me at all, and this fucking idiot went anyway and attacked someone on my behalf, so I was - Merlin, I was _furious_."  
  
"Well, thanks anyway," Jake says again. "I didn't want to do anything myself until after the competition, just in case, but I'm glad he got something now."  
  
"He probably deserves more," Nico says. "I'm done, though. He's still my friend - I think, anyway. But if you need to do something else, I understand."  
  
"I don't know," Jake says. "I have time."  
  
"Think about it.”

-

"You sure you're okay with this?"  
  
They're on the third floor, standing outside the entrance to the tunnel. Jake needs to get more cards, but he'd promised Charlie he wouldn't try to go to Hogsmeade alone again, so here they are. For the first time since Nolan attacked him, Jake is going back into the tunnel. He's not nervous, really; he's with Charlie this time, and he knows Nolan wouldn't be able to overpower both of them, doubts he would even try. There's nothing to worry about. He isn't sure he could do this alone, not so soon, anyway, but with Charlie, he feels safe.  
  
Jake sighs. "Yes, Charlie, for the hundredth time. Merlin."  
  
"Sorry," Charlie says. "I'm just worried about you."  
  
"I'm okay," Jake says. He says the password, opening up the passage, and steps into it, Charlie following his lead. "See?" Jake says once they're inside. "I'm fine."  
  
Truthfully, Jake does feel a little uneasy. The dark, the quiet, the stones under his shoes - it all feels too familiar. He remembers all too clearly what it was like being trapped in here, but this time is different. He's with Charlie, and no one else is here. Charlie lights up his wand, and the scene changes; now, it is a lit corridor, only slightly resembling the darkness Jake had been trapped in. He thinks back to the first time they snuck out to Hogsmeade, remembers sitting on the rocky ground with Charlie, opening dozens and dozens of Chocolate Frogs and reading the new cards, removed from the stresses and pressures of the rest of the world, just the two of them.  
  
"If you're sure," Charlie says quietly, and Jake nods, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. He feels a strange urge to grab Charlie's hand, but he pushes it down.  
  
"I'm okay," he repeats, and this time, he means it.  
  
-  
  
They make it to Honeydukes and buy their Chocolate Frogs without incident, and on the way back, it's Jake who suggests they open them all in the passageway once again.  
  
Charlie is surprised, but when Jake confirms that he really does want to do this, he agrees, and the two of them find a relatively comfortable spot, not far from where they originally sat, and get to work.  
  
"Hey, you don't have this one yet, right?" Charlie asks, handing Jake a card. The name on the front is Zach Hyman, and Jake shakes his head in reply.

> _Popular author of numerous books on various topics in the history of magic, which have been praised as making the subject interesting to young Hogwarts students at last. Hyman’s first book was published while he was still a student at Hogwarts working on his NEWTs. In addition to his writing, Hyman is a Chaser for the Ballycastle Bats._

"Well, there's another one," Jake says as he finishes reading.  
  
They keep sifting through the frogs, and soon, Jake finds one as well.  
  
"Sirius Black," he says. "Now there's a name everyone knows."  
  
"Well…" Charlie says. "Maybe not everyone."  
  
"No shit," Jake says, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you're Muggle-born and all, but come on, never?"  
  
Charlie shakes his head.

"Damn," Jake mutters, and begins reading the card. 

> _Black is best known for having been wrongfully accused of working with the dark wizard Voldemort. He spent twelve years in Azkaban, and became the first known person to escape the prison in 1993. He rejoined the Order of the Phoenix and fought against Voldemort even when doing so put him at risk of being caught and sent back to prison, but in 1995, he was tragically killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin and noted Death Eater. His innocence was only made public knowledge after his death._

"Merlin," Charlie says. "That's awful. I mean, great guy I guess, but - fuck."  
  
"That sums up his life about as well as this card," Jake says, and they both laugh.  
  
They return to the rest of the Chocolate Frogs, but they don't find any other new cards. Either way, Jake thinks, it's been a successful night, between conquering his slight fear of the tunnel, getting two new cards, and, of course, spending some quality time with Charlie. He really doesn't know what he wants out of this, not yet, anyway, but he does know that he wants to spend as much time with Charlie as he possibly can, and that - well, that must mean something.

-

Several days pass before Jake finally gets Willy alone. It's late, and they're the only people left in the common room, both working on homework. Jake isn't getting much done, too busy glancing over at Willy to gauge his progress, and when Willy starts gathering his supplies, Jake gets up and walks over to him.  
  
"Hey, Willy," he says. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"You already did," Willy says, because he really is that brand of annoying. "But sure, you can ask me something else."  
  
"It's about the Chocolate Frogs," Jake prefaces. "Charlie and I have this theory that some of the cards can only be found at certain locations - not just within the U.K., but all throughout Europe. I know you're from Sweden, and your father works at Durmstrang, correct?"  
  
"Yes," Willy sighs. "But I can't help you."  
  
"Why not?" Jake asks. "I mean - sorry, you don't have to explain, it's just - Jaromir Jagr went to school there, and I don't have his card yet, so I thought-"  
  
"I get it," Willy interjects. "Really, I'm sure some frogs from Kurravaara would have Jagr's card, and I wish I could help you, but my father would never agree to help me out.”

“Are you sure?”

Willy sighs, and Jake goes to apologize, but before he can, Willy speaks over him. “I never speak to him except for during the summer holidays, and even then, it's always strained. He can't stand the idea that I chose to come all the way to Scotland for my education just so I could avoid the Dark Arts as a part of my curriculum, and once Alex chose to come here as well, he started to really resent me. He thinks I'm - and I quote - 'bleeding the Scandinavian pride out of our family.'"  
  
"I'm sorry," Jake says, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"It's not your fault," Willy says, smiling faintly. "I knew he wouldn't react well, and I still made that decision."  
  
"Sure," Jake says, "but unless he endorses - sorry, I mean-"  
  
"He's not a fan of the Dark Arts," Willy explains. "He teaches History of Magic. He just thinks - like everyone at Durmstrang says they do, I suppose - that you have to understand the evil in order to fight it, or some other bullshit. Everyone who has any sense knows it's just a front; even now, former Death Eaters and their sympathizers still send their kids there. Before I came here, my dad would always have stories about the students there using dark magic on each other, and I just didn't want any part in that." He sighs. "Anyway, sorry for dumping all this on you; I don't really talk about it too often. I wish I could help you."  
  
"It's alright," Jake says. "I'll come up with something. Or maybe I'll get lucky and some Gryffindor's parents will send them the card and they'll give it to me."  
  
Willy chuckles. "I hope so. Goodnight, Jake."  
  
"Goodnight, Willy."

-

Jake is walking back to the Gryffindor common room, having spent the last few hours in the library researching Herbology for an upcoming essay. He had started out working with Zach, but his roommate was distracted by Dylan Larkin early into their research session, and Jake ended up alone. After several hours of researching with no companionship, Jake finds himself rather tired, and is ready to get to bed early. He's looking forward to getting some much-needed rest, and his daydreaming about his bed must be the reason he doesn't notice Charlie until he's right beside him.  
  
"Oh!" Jake says, startled. "Hi, Charlie."  
  
"Hey," Charlie says, smirking a little. "Didn't see me there?"  
  
"No," Jake admits. "You just getting back from Quidditch practice?"  
  
"Yeah," Charlie answers. "Merlin, what a nightmare. Willy's getting anxious about the upcoming game against Slytherin, so he's making us work twice as hard."  
  
Jake frowns, puzzled. "He told me this morning that he's not worried at all."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure he was just trying to play it cool," Charlie waves a hand. "After our loss to Hufflepuff earlier this year, we can't afford to lose again, and Slytherin's always tough to play against."  
  
Jake doesn't reply. He knows Willy was telling the truth; it's not like him to worry about anything, and Charlie has told him numerous times about how chill of a captain Willy is. He isn't sure what's changed, but Jake knows that something is off.  
  
They reach the common room entrance before Jake can question him, so as they stop in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, he says nothing.  
  
"Password?" She asks after a few seconds.  
  
Jake motions to Charlie. "Why don't you say it? I seem to have forgotten; it was just changed and all."  
  
"Uh," Charlie reaches up, scratching the back of his neck. "I think I forgot it, too. Fuck," he laughs nervously.  
  
Jake scans the corridor, ensuring that no one is around, and begins walking away from the portrait. Charlie follows, seemingly having also resigned himself to waiting for another Gryffindor to come along. Once they’re out of the Fat Lady’s sight, Jake pulls out his wand before shoving Charlie against the wall, pointing his wand towards Charlie's chest.  
  
"Jake, man, what the-"  
  
"Shut up," Jake hisses. "The password hasn't been changed all year, and the real Charlie knows it."  
  
Charlie - or whoever is impersonating him - is silent, confirming Jake's suspicion.  
  
"Polyjuice Potion, right? Who are you really, and what did you do with the real Charlie?" Jake asks harshly.  
  
"I don't understand, Jake-"  
  
"Stop lying!" Jake yells. "If you don't answer my questions now, I will not hesitate to curse you, and after I've done that and the potion has worn off, I will humiliate you in front of the whole school. You understand?"  
  
Not-Charlie gulps. "Fine," he says, voice wavering a little. "I ambushed him after Quidditch practice, knocked him out, and left him in the changing room."  
  
"Who are you?" Jake repeats, gripping his wand tighter.  
  
"Connor McDavid," he says. "I just needed some cards, so I thought-"  
  
"That's a load of shit and you know it," Jake cuts him off. "I saw McDavid in the library just before I left, and he didn't look like he was going to leave anytime soon. You're either Eichel or one of his friends."  
  
Not-Charlie laughs humorlessly. "Well, you're just onto everything I do, aren't you DeBrusk?"  
  
"Tell me who you are, or I swear-"  
  
"Save it," he says, rolling his eyes. "I'm Auston Matthews."  
  
"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" Jake asks.  
  
"Short answer? You don't," Charlie - no, Auston - shrugs. "Long answer, we were really close before this whole Chocolate Frog thing started, so I know him really well. He turned his back on us, though, and I know you have some cards that Jack doesn't have, so I figured I could easily pretend to be Charlie and get them. Guess it's my lack of knowledge of that insufferable Nylander that got me."  
  
"So you just attacked your friend, just for - for this competition?" Jake feels himself growing livid. "He never turned his back on you, you bloody bastard. He's a Gryffindor; did you really expect him to help out the Slytherins? I have friends in Slytherin too, and I never expected them to help me with this. And you know what else? It's not like it was his idea to help me out. He's lost a lot of House points over the years - probably due to hanging out with you and Eichel so much - and our Head of House told him that this would be a good way to make up for it. He never wanted to make you two feel as if he turned on you. In fact, he's extremely upset that you two won't talk to him, more so than he lets on, even to me. So really, Matthews, how did it feel when you cursed him and left him there alone? If you had just apologized to him, he would've accepted it in a heartbeat, and you could've been friends again, but now? I'm not going to speak for him, but I've been attacked in a similar manner, and it's not something you can just forgive so easily. Would it have been worth it if you got the cards? You're not even Slytherin's champion."  
  
Auston is quiet, and Jake takes a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He wants to just curse Auston, stuff him into a broom closet to be dealt with later and go find Charlie, but first, he knows he has to wait for the potion to wear off. Jake has little doubt that this really is Auston, but if he's wrong, he doesn't want to potentially ruin Charlie's relationship with his former friend forever by giving him false information.  
  
Just as Jake has resigned himself to standing outside the common room waiting for the potion to reverse, trying to ignore his growing concern for Charlie, Auston finally speaks.  
  
"This competition means everything to Jack. He thinks it's his chance to finally be better than McDavid, and since I'm a better friend than McAvoy, I'm going to stand by him," Auston explains. "Besides, it's not as if I actually hurt him. He didn't even see me coming."  
  
Jake tightens his grip on not-Charlie's shoulder. "What did you do to him?"  
  
He doesn't reply.  
  
"You know, I've been meaning to practice the Severing Charm lately," Jake growls.  
  
"I just Stunned him and restrained him," Auston admits. "I was going to go back for him, though, I swear."  
  
Jake starts to shake with anger, and he tries to hold it down, but he looks at Charlie's face, his hair slowly beginning to shift back to the darker brown of Auston's, and finds that he can't hold back any longer. He releases Auston from his hold, gripping his wand even tighter.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus!" He repeats the same spell that had been used on him not long before, watching as the body that was still mostly Charlie drops to the ground, frozen except for the eyes. He's still changing back, and Jake takes the time to levitate his body into an empty broom closet so that no professors or prefects will take notice. By the time Jake gets him into the closet, he's returned to enough of his own body that Jake can tell that Auston had been telling the truth about his identity.  
  
He shuts the door to the broom closet, leaving him there as he runs to the changing rooms to find Charlie.  
  
-  
  
Jake is glad he had been planning on going to bed early, because he still has a little bit of time before curfew sets in. He races down the corridors, not even caring if he's drawing attention to himself, knowing that he has to get outside before anyone can stop and ask what he's doing. It's been half an hour since Jake left the library, and he has no idea how long Auston was waiting to make his move. Quidditch practice didn't normally go on as late as he had claimed while pretending to be Charlie; for all Jake knows, Charlie could've been trapped in the changing room for nearly two hours. The Stunning Spell surely would have worn off by now, and Jake feels a pit of worry in his stomach at the thought of Charlie trapped in the changing rooms, confined somehow - with the Incarcerous Spell, perhaps - confused, cold, and alone.  
  
With that thought, and the late January cold, Jake speeds up, and by the time he makes it to the Quidditch pitch and finds the changing rooms, he's worked up enough of a sweat that the cold doesn't feel quite as unbearable. There are two changing rooms, and no indication as to which Charlie is actually in, so Jake tries the first one he comes across. The door is closed, but Jake tries the handle and finds that it is not locked, so he steps in.  
  
The first thing Jake sees is a body lying on the floor in the far corner, bound in rope and not moving. Charlie's eyes are open, though he can't see Jake from this angle, so Jake shuts the door, alerting Charlie to his presence, and rushes over.  
  
"Jake?" Charlie says once he's close enough for Charlie to see. "What happened?"  
  
"It's okay," Jake says, pressing a hand to his forehead to check his temperature. The changing room isn't nearly as cold as the outside, but it's still quite chilly, and Jake is relieved to feel that Charlie's body temperature seems fine. He instructs Charlie to stay still, severing the ropes with the same spell he had threatened to use on Auston barely fifteen minutes prior. Charlie sits up, stretching, enjoying his newfound ability to move.  
  
"How did you find me?"  
  
"It's a long story," Jake says. "I know who attacked you, and he's currently lying immobile in the broom closet nearest to the Gryffindor common room. Are you sure you're ready to hear it?"  
  
Charlie nods, so Jake tells him everything. When he finishes, Charlie takes a deep breath, not saying anything.  
  
"You okay?" Jake asks softly.  
  
Charlie sighs. "I think so," he says. "It's just - I didn’t think Auston would ever go that far. I really had no idea who could've done it, but I didn't think - sorry, it's just - it's been a long night."  
  
"Don't apologize," Jake says. "I know how it feels - not with him being your friend, but being trapped, helpless - I get it." They sit in silence for a moment before Jake speaks again. "I was so worried about you," he admits.  
  
"Really?" Charlie asks, looking down at the floor, and it's dark, but Jake thinks he can see a faint blush on his cheeks. "I was worried about you, too."  
  
"Really?" It's Jake's turn to ask this time. "Why me?"  
  
"I figured it might have something to do with this competition, and I thought, well, if they're going after _me_ , when I'm not even the actual participant… I'm just glad you're okay," Charlie says, meeting Jake's eyes at last. Even in the dim lighting, Jake can see them shining, and his breath catches as he stares into them. Rather than looking away, he closes his eyes, leans forward a little, and stops.  
  
"Stop me if I'm reading this wrong," Jake whispers, opening his eyes again, before leaning forward just a little bit more and meeting Charlie's lips. Almost instantly, Charlie is kissing him back, a soft, slow kiss that Jake can hardly believe is really happening. He brings his hand to the back of Charlie's neck, carding his fingers through his hair, and deepens the kiss, just a little, before they have to break apart. Jake begins to pull away, but Charlie pulls him back, kissing him again, with more urgency this time, and when they finally break apart, both their faces are flushed, and Jake feels his heart racing as he leans back, just a little, meeting Charlie's eyes once again.  
  
"We should do that again," Charlie says, grinning.  
  
Jake obliges.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 6,812

By the time they make it back to the castle, it's well after curfew, and they have to be very careful sneaking back to the common room. Several times, they have to duck into empty classrooms to avoid prefects on patrol, and even though Jake knows it can't take them more than half an hour, it feels like several hours before they finally reach the broom closet in which Auston is stuck.

Charlie walks in first, Jake closing the door behind them, and it's cramped, but they need the privacy to have this conversation. Jake performs the counter-curse, allowing Auston to move again, though he and Charlie block the door so that Auston can't escape.

"What took you so long?" Auston sneers.

Jake is glad it's so dark in the broom closet, because he really doesn't want Auston Matthews to be the first to find out about him and Charlie.

"Did Jack put you up to this?" Charlie asks, cutting straight to the point.

"No," Auston says. "I already told DeBrusk it was my idea."

"Just checking," Charlie says. "Wouldn't want Slytherin to be forced to forfeit the competition due to cheating, after all."

Jake can't really see him, but he imagines that Auston's face pales. He has never been one to consider the consequences of his actions, as proven by the amount of time he's spent in detention over the years, so Jake doesn't imagine he would have considered what could happen to Jack because of him.

"Now," Jake begins. "We've already decided that we aren't going to tell the professors. Not because we don't think you should face any consequences, of course."

"Quite the opposite, actually," Charlie cuts in. "You see, Auston, we've been friends for five years now. I know that detention doesn't bother you, and I know that we don’t have any proof to get Jack kicked out of the competition. Not to mention that, despite what you seem to think, I have nothing against Jack, and I wouldn't want him kicked out for something that he didn't even do. However, I can't just let you get away with attacking me, so Jake and I are going to let you see what it's like."

"What?" Auston yelps, trying to move towards the door, but before he gets anywhere, Charlie casts the Full Body-Bind Curse once again. For the second time that night, Auston is unable to move, and for the second time that night, Jake leaves the broom closet, now accompanied by Charlie, and shuts the door, locking it. The two of them enter the Gryffindor common room at last, ready to finally get the rest they both need.

"I don't think he'll be bothering you again," Jake says as he and Charlie go their separate ways. "But we'll see how he feels in the morning."

"Goodnight, Jake," Charlie smiles.

"Goodnight, Charlie."

Jake goes up to his dorm, and as he gets ready for bed, it hits him. He _kissed_ Charlie. And they haven’t said anything about it, and oh Merlin, what if Charlie stops talking to him, what if he regrets it, what if he was just caught up in the moment?

If that were the case, Jake reasons, Charlie probably would have been weird about it already, but he had seemed fine when they’d said goodnight, so _maybe_ , just maybe, he wants this as much as Jake.

-

The next morning, Jake receives another package from his father. After the stress brought on by the previous night's events - Auston's attack, sure, but Jake is thinking mostly of how he's going to talk to Charlie now that they've kissed - a new card would certainly calm his nerves a little. It would be just what he needs, in fact - both a victory and the perfect excuse to talk to Charlie without it being weird.

It’s a nice distraction from Auston, too. Jake had let him out of the broom closet first thing in the morning, careful not to let anyone see, and evidently, he’d slept well enough to follow Jake to the Great Hall for breakfast. None of his friends have arrived yet, either, and with nothing else to occupy him, he’s been glaring daggers at Jake the entire time. Jake had found it a bit funny at first, but it’s starting to unnerve him, so he’s glad for the arrival of the post.

Before he can even open the first frog, someone sits down next to him, and Jake doesn't have to look to know it's Charlie.

"I didn't accidentally use the Summoning Charm nonverbally, did I?" Jake greets him. "I was just thinking about you." While he doesn't normally have much of a filter, the entire concept of thinking before he speaks is just lost on him in the morning. Charlie doesn't seem to mind, however; he even laughs a little, and it’s a good-natured laugh, not one at Jake’s expense. So far, he’s not acting like he regrets anything that happened last night.

"If you could do that, you would've already summoned your dog here by accident," Charlie says, and there's a sort of raspiness to his voice brought on by the morning that makes it hard for Jake to focus on what he's actually saying. "Chocolate Frogs for breakfast?"

Jake smiles even wider, sliding half of the pile down to Charlie before unwrapping the first frog.

They keep going until the frogs are gone, but there aren't any new cards this time.

"Guess we'll just have to go to Hogsmeade again, won't we?" Charlie says.

Jake hums in agreement, grabbing some eggs to supplement his chocolate breakfast. He takes a bite, then drops his fork before he can even swallow as an idea hits him.

"Speaking of Hogsmeade," Jake says after swallowing hastily, knowing that if he waits and takes the time to think, he might not bring himself to say it. "Valentine's Day is this weekend. You want to go on a date?" It's not the most romantic way to ask someone on a first date, especially when they still haven't actually discussed the fact that they _actually_ kissed, but with the way Charlie's entire face lights up as he smiles the most brilliant grin Jake has ever seen, well - it'll do.

"I'd love to," Charlie answers. "And since you asked, you get to plan the date. Just please don't take me to Madam Puddifoot's," he pouts. "I did have fun last time, but on Valentine's…"

"Oh, Merlin," Jake winces. "I would never step foot in that place on Valentine's. Next thing I know I'd be naked in front of the whole shop and I'd have to pinch myself awake. Absolute nightmare."

"Glad we agree," Charlie laughs.

-

It's not until halfway through Charms - Jake's first class of the day - that he realizes that he's actually going to have to plan a date.

"Not just any date," he moans to Zach. "A first date. A first date on Valentine's Day. What was I thinking?"

"You'll be fine," Zach says without looking up from his notes.

"What are you and Dylan doing?" Jake asks.

"We're going to try to spend a little time in every shop, at least all the ones we care about - even Puddifoot's. I'm not fond of that place, but it's his last year, you know? May as well enjoy Hogsmeade while it's so accessible," Dylan explains, finally pausing in his note-taking.

"You're no help," Jake whines. Professor Flitwick shoots him a look, and he returns to his notes, still with no idea what to do for his and Charlie's first date and with only three days left to figure something out.

-

Because Jake simply can't enjoy an uneventful meal today, he's joined at lunch by none other than Nolan Patrick.

"Just hear me out," Nolan says before Jake can even react. He looks around for his friends, but Zach is the only one who's arrived so far, and even if he were aware of what Nolan did, he's too lost in Dylan's eyes to notice.

Jake sighs. "Make it quick," he grumbles.

"Okay," Nolan begins. "I don't regret working against you in the competition, because I don't really know you, and Nico's my best friend, and that's just more important to me than House loyalty. But I shouldn't have attacked you, and I really am sorry for that. I don't know if you care to hear my explanation, but…" Nolan trails off, but Jake nods, letting him know to continue. "I was really anxious about getting caught, and I had this idea that if someone found out I was working with Hufflepuff, I'd - I don't know, get detention for life, or even get expelled, which - I know it isn't really rational, okay? Nico really laid into me after he cursed me, so I know. But when I saw that it was you in the corridor - I just freaked out. And, again, I'm really sorry."

They're silent for a moment, and Jake figures it's his turn to speak, so he does. "Would you do it again?"

"What?" Nolan asks, surprised.

"If the two of us were alone in that corridor, both heading towards Honeydukes, what would you do?"

"I - I don't know," Nolan admits. "But I wouldn't hurt you."

His voice is quiet, and Jake isn't sure he really believes him, but he decides not to press the issue. It doesn't really matter; he knows that if he really did meet Nolan alone in the corridor again, he'd be the first to throw out a curse - his mother's voice rings in his head, reminding him that "two wrongs don't make a right," but he ignores it.

"You'd do anything for him," Jake says, phrasing it as a statement, not a question. Nolan nods, and Jake is reminded of Nico's anger, how completely disappointed he had been in his friend. "Did he make you do this?"

Nolan shakes his head. "He wanted me to, but he didn't force me. I meant everything I said."

"Okay," Jake says. He still isn't entirely convinced; Nolan does seem sincere, but he wouldn't have come to any of these conclusions without Nico's guidance, and Jake is sure that he cares more about not disappointing Nico than actually making amends with Jake. Regardless, it's the best he's going to get. "It’s okay, I guess, but there is one thing."

"What is it?"

"I don't care if you're helping out Hufflepuff. Maybe there are some people who do, but I don't, and - not to sound entitled, but I think that in this situation, my opinion matters more than any other Gryffindor's. Some people are taking this competition too far," Jake says. He sees Charlie entering the Great Hall, an alarmed expression on his face once he realizes who Jake is sitting next to, so he hurries to end the conversation before Charlie can get to Nolan. "Go sit with your friends, but make sure you tell Nico to let David Pastrnak know what I said."

"Uh," Nolan says, getting up. "Okay?"

He walks away, and seconds later, Charlie sits down in the space Nolan had just occupied.

"What the hell was that?" He hisses, and Jake shakes his head, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry about it," he says. "He was just apologizing. It was mostly sincere, entirely brought on by Nico. I bet they'll be dating before you graduate."

"You sure they're not already?" Charlie snorts. "He didn't cause any trouble, though?"

"No," Jake reassures him. "Even if he tried, I can handle myself."

"What, I'm not allowed to worry about my boyfriend?" Charlie quips, and Jake nearly chokes on his pumpkin juice.

"Boyfriend?!" Jake exclaims.

"Too soon?" Charlie grimaces, blushing. "Sorry, I just-"

"No, no," Jake cuts him off. "I like it. I was just surprised."

"Okay," Charlie smiles, and as Jake looks into his eyes - his _boyfriend's_ eyes - he forgets that they haven't even been on their first date yet, that he doesn't even know what they're going to do for their first date, because Charlie is well and truly his now.

-

"Wait, so squill bulbs are the ones used in - what was it?"

"Felix Felicis," Jake says. "Which is-"

"Liquid luck," Anders says. "Yeah, yeah, I know that one."

"And what else are squill bulbs used for?" Jake asks.

"Muggle cough medicines," Charlie says, coming over to join them on the couch in the common room. He sits in between them, moving as close to Jake as he can and resting his head on his shoulder. "As riveting as this conversation is, I think you guys should know that Professor Bergeron and Professor Marchand are 100% dating."

"What?" Anders shrieks, studying for his Potions exam forgotten. "Tell me all the details."

Jake must admit that he's interested too, though he does wonder where Willy is. He would _love_ to hear all of this straight from the source rather than from Anders.

"Well," Charlie begins. "I was in detention with Professor Bergeron just now-" Anders begins to interrupt, but Charlie waves him off. "I might have been caught with extendable ears outside the staffroom. Anyway, the _point-_ "

"Did you catch anything there?" Anders cuts in.

"No, thanks to Professor Bergeron," Charlie says, sighing. "Anyway, this was earlier today, so the detention was kind of last minute so I wouldn't have to miss Quidditch practice tomorrow. And you know who came in with a huge-ass bouquet of flowers near the end?"

"Bloody hell," Anders says. "It was Marchand."

"Bingo," Charlie grins.

"That's amazing," Jake says. "Who knew Professor Marchand was such a softie at heart?"

"I bet Bergeron did," Anders says, wiggling his eyebrow, and they all burst into laughter.

"That's actually so cute though," Jake says once they've settled down. "Like, they can't have been together all this time, or we'd have known, right? So they've been working together all this time, and now they're like - in love, maybe, or at least getting there."

"Your level of self-awareness is astounding," Anders says. "Congrats on getting your shit together, by the way. Both of you."

Jake feels himself blush, and a glance down at Charlie shows that he's doing the same thing. "Thanks," he tells Anders, knowing that his friend really is happy for him, even if he isn't the most expressive. "Sorry I didn't tell you yet, but, well, it's only the second day."

"As long as you invite me to the wedding," Anders says, and with that, he gets up, leaving the two of them alone on the couch.

"How much you want to bet he's going to find Willy and tell him everything?" Charlie asks.

"Oh, I would _never_ bet against that," Jake laughs. "But enough about them."

The common room is mostly empty; a few other students remain, but none of them are particularly close to them, and if Jake lies down, gently pulling at Charlie's wrists until he's on top of him, well, no one else can see.

-

Jake has never been much of a procrastinator, but he's never been on an actual date before either. Going to Madam Puddifoot's with Allie Wiseman in their fourth year doesn't count, no matter what Anders says, since they managed to have such an awful date that they both came out to themselves within a week. (Maybe it isn't really that simple, but it's more fun to think it is.) He had asked a few more of his friends since Zach, but none of their responses were particularly helpful.

Regardless, Jake knows that his second ever date is not going to be at the same place as the first, though he doesn't know anything else about it. It's Saturday morning now, and he's at the point of desperately hoping that a good idea will come to him in the shower. Otherwise, he'll have to try his luck with the Three Broomsticks, and while that wouldn't be a terrible place for a date by any means, it wouldn't really be special either.

Of course, because his luck doesn't work that way, he doesn't get any ideas from the shower, and as he and Charlie run to Hogsmeade, racing against Connor, Jack, Nico, and their friends, all he can think about is how he has no idea what he's going to do.

-

Connor is the first to reach Honeydukes, to no one's surprise. The biggest change, however, is that all four of them thought to bring their own bags. By the time Jake reaches the store - just slightly ahead of Nico - almost half the display is already gone. Jake runs up to the display, tipping one of the shelves to slide as many Chocolate Frogs as he can into his bag, and Charlie helps by picking up the ones that drop to the ground. Soon enough, the display is empty once again.

Jake wastes no time in heading to the counter to pay for his frogs. He doesn't have as many frogs as Connor or Jack, but he has a few more than last time. Nico has plenty of his own as well, probably in part due to the increased size of the Chocolate Frog display. Still, he figures he'll try his luck at getting the shop owner to give him some more frogs from the back.

"Sorry, kid," the shop owner tells him. "I had a real scarcity of Chocolate Frogs last time you kids all came to town. I can't give you any more than I already have."

Jake thanks him, neglecting to offer a suggestion that the man simply order more Chocolate Frogs ahead of Hogsmeade weekends, and exits the shop, Charlie right by his side.

"Should we go through these now, or go ahead and start our date?"

"Now seems good," Jake answers quickly, glad for any extra time to figure out what they're going to do.

"Where are we going to go?" Charlie asks, and Jake really doesn't know. The Three Broomsticks is full to the brim, and he really doesn't feel like going through the cards in a crowded space where anyone could try to steal one, but it's too cold to just sit outside.

"It's the complete opposite of romantic, but do you want to try the Hog's Head?" Jake suggests.

Charlie laughs. "Oh, this is definitely the official start of our first date."

"What?" Jake balks. "No way! It doesn't start until we get to a proper establishment."

"I'll have you know the Hog's Head is a very fine institution," Charlie says, giggling. "Besides, I don't think there's a more hilarious first date location than that."

"You're insufferable," Jake mutters, grinning to let Charlie know he doesn't mean it. Charlie takes his hand and leads him to the Hog's Head, which is even more empty than usual, given the holiday. Last Hogsmeade weekend, Jack and his friends had been in there sorting through their cards, but today, Jake doesn't see anyone who looks to be under the age of forty.

"Should be inconspicuous enough here," Charlie says, and they find a table. Once they're seated, they get to work, opening all the Chocolate Frogs just to slide the cards out before the frog can hop away, eating the ones that try to escape, and it doesn't take long for Jake to find a new card.

"I got one," he says, showing Charlie the card with Ginny Potter's portrait.

> _Member of Dumbledore’s Army who contributed significantly to the defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort at the age of sixteen, Potter (née Weasley) is best known as longtime Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. She has since retired to become the Senior Quidditch Correspondent for the Daily Prophet, and is married to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived._

Charlie breathes a sigh of relief. "Feels like it's been ages since we've found a new card."

"Maybe Valentines' Day miracles do exist," Jake laughs.

"You've got the wrong holiday," Charlie says, shaking his head fondly. They return to sorting through the cards, joking with each other until the other Hog's Head patrons are glaring at them for laughing too much. Once they finish, finding no more new cards, they leave the pub.

He has about five seconds until Charlie asks where they're going, so it's probably time for Jake to figure something out.

Jake is thankful that they'll have to walk by the Three Broomsticks to get back to the main area of Hogsmeade; he wouldn't want to lead Charlie there only to take a look at the crowd and change his mind. Of course, that's what he ends up doing anyway, but Charlie doesn't know that. As they walk past Zonko's, one of the last shops on the way back to Hogwarts, Jake gets an idea - it's a bit risky, but at this point, his only other options are a joke shop and a music shop, neither of which are particularly appealing.

"Where are we going?" Charlie finally asks, taking longer than Jake expected, as they walk past Honeydukes, putting them on the path back to Hogwarts.

"I know this was kind of supposed to be a Hogsmeade date, but I couldn't think of a great date location there, so I thought I'd show you something special in the castle," Jake says, nervously. He's only had a few minutes to think the plan over, and he certainly doesn't have a backup plan.

"Okay," Charlie says easily, not questioning any further.

They make it back to the castle, and Jake leads Charlie up to the seventh floor. He looks around, making sure he's in the right place, then lets go of Charlie's hand to walk in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy three times. Charlie asks what he's doing, but Jake ignores him, intent on making sure that his request is understood.

He walks by a third time and the door appears.

"What the fuck?" Charlie asks, incredulous.

Jake grins, grabbing his hand once again and leading them inside. He's only been a few times before, but this time, the room is unlike any iteration of it he's seen.

Save for the space where they’re currently standing, the floor is entirely made of a thin sheet of ice. The air is chilly, but not freezing, and the walls are as white as snow with blue and purple snowflake decorations scattered around. By the entrance are two pairs of skates.

“I remember you said once - back in your second year, I believe - that you used to enjoy ice skating,” Jake says. “Since you don’t get to spend much time in the Muggle world anymore, I figured we could bring a little bit of it here. This room does whatever you want it to, essentially, so, as you can see, I’ve used it to create an ice rink. I’ve never skated before, though, so you’ll have to teach me.”

Charlie steps closer, taking Jake’s hands in his. “Jake,” he says, and his voice is soft, something almost vulnerable in it that Jake’s never heard before. “This is - this is incredible. Thank you, really.”

“Of course,” Jake whispers, and Charlie leans in. Jake leans forward, meeting his lips, and they stay like that for a while, kissing slowly, before Jake breaks apart. “Are we going to skate or not?”

Charlie laughs. “Of course.”

He lets go of Jake, walking over to pick up the skates. He takes off his shoes, testing out the skates, and sure enough, one of the pairs fits him perfectly. Jake puts the other pair on, and Charlie waits for him. Once Jake is ready, Charlie takes his hand, asking if he’s ready, and when Jake says yes, they take to the ice.

Jake is wobbly at best, having had no prior experience with anything at all like this, but it’s a lot of fun regardless. Charlie isn’t too good at it himself, not having been since before he started at Hogwarts, but he can skate without falling, and Jake holds onto him almost the entire time. Eventually, he does try skating by himself, and it’s okay for a few seconds, until it isn’t. He falls, and it’s cold, but Charlie helps him back up, and they kiss some more.

All in all, it’s a nice date, and they have a much better time than they would have anywhere in Hogsmeade, if the omnipresent smile on Charlie’s face is anything to go by.

-

Monday morning comes sooner than Jake would like, though, on the bright side, with it comes a package from his father.

> _Hi Jake,_
> 
> _Found these in a store in Portree, and you know how they are with luck in this town. Hopefully these frogs will bring you the luck you need!_
> 
> _I hope the competition is going well, and that you're continuing to focus on school as well. Don't lose sight of what matters most!_
> 
> _Don't eat them all at once, kiddo._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Dad_

This batch does turn out to be rather lucky, as Jake finds another new card. This time, it's Ron Weasley.

> _Weasley is best known for his contributions in the Second Wizarding War in the fight against the dark wizard Voldemort. After the war, he became an Auror for two years before leaving to work at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes with his brother, George. Weasley is also a highly skilled wizard chess player who has won numerous international championships, as well as a famously dedicated fan of the Chudley Cannons._

Considering Ron's appreciation for the Cannons, it seems only fitting that his card would come in a package from Jake's dad.

-

The next time Jake goes to the library, intending to write his Herbology essay, he's joined by someone he wouldn't normally expect to see in the library.

"Hey," Pasta says. "Thought I might find you here."

"Oh," Jake puts down his quill. "Hey, Pasta."

"Nico told me what you said," Pasta says, getting straight to the point. "And I wanted to apologize. It's nothing personal, I promise, it's just-"

"You're a prefect," Jake says, and Pasta nods. "I get it. I mean, it sucks, and I don't think it's really worth cutting me off over, but I get it. Though, for what it's worth, I have another friend who's a Hufflepuff prefect and he still talks to me on a regular basis."

"I've never really taken my prefect duties seriously, so I thought - well, it doesn't matter," Pasta says. "Brandon talked to me, actually. Said that even if we aren't in the same house, we're supposed to stick by our friends no matter what, and he's right. So - I'm sorry. Really."

Jake sighs. "It's alright," he says. "I forgive you, just - don't do that again, okay? It's your last year, man, and I'm not going to see you as often after this."

"Of course," Pasta says. "I won't. But I hope you know I’m going to write you every week."

"You'd better," Jake says, and Pasta smiles.

"Oh, and before I forget," Pasta says, reaching into his bag and pulling out a Chocolate Frog Card. "I brought this. A peace offering, I guess." He hands the card to Jake, and he sees Hayley Wickenheiser, one of the four remaining cards that Jake has yet to find.

> _After several long years of experimentation and repeated failure, Wickenheiser devised a spell allowing Muggle electronic technologies to be used without being damaged by magical interference. It is because of her dedication that wizards and witches are now able to use computers, televisions, and cell phones, though for now, they are still banned in all magical schools as well as the Ministry of Magic._

"Pasta," he says. "You can't - I know we're friends again and all, but this is-"

"I know," Pasta says. "If I were in any other House, I'd probably take points from myself for doing that, but you're a friend in need, so I like to think it counts as doing my Hufflepuff duty."

"But Nico-"

"Nico already has this card," Pasta says. "He only needs two more, you know."

"Two more?" Jake asks. "Damn."

"See?" Pasta says. "You do need this."

"Fine," Jake says, accepting the card. "I'm not too proud to accept help from the enemy. You want me to mention you in my interview when I win?"

Pasta laughs. "Oh, please don't."

"I won't," Jake says, smiling. "But thank you, really."

"Of course," Pasta says. "I'm just glad to have you back in my life."

-

Jake watches as the portrait slides back into place, engulfing him in total darkness. He casts Lumos, takes a deep breath, and begins walking, making sure to check behind him every few seconds to ensure that he's still alone.

He wasn’t supposed to come here alone - never again, in fact, is what Charlie made him promise.

Jake hadn't planned on going alone, but he knows the competition is drawing to an end. He doesn’t know how many cards Jack and Connor have left, and Nico had already only had two left a few days earlier. For all he knows, any of them could be just one card away from victory; he can't afford to just sit in the library and wait for a day that Charlie doesn't have Quidditch practice so that they can sneak into Hogsmeade, and he certainly can't just wait for his father to send him every card he needs. Granted, he hadn't promised Charlie to bring him along every time, just that he wouldn't go alone, but with all of his close friends either on the Quidditch team or in another House, who else could Jake have asked?

It's highly unlikely that he'll actually run into anyone, anyway. As far as Jake knows, neither Connor nor Jack actually know about the passage, and given what happened with Nolan, he doesn't think Nico would curse him if he saw him. The only real danger is Nolan, but after his apology the other night, Jake isn't so sure that he really is a danger.

Of course, Charlie had assumed that he was just trying to get back in Nico's good graces, and maybe he was - maybe he's just a really good liar. But he didn't just tell Jake that he wouldn't curse him again; he said he wasn't sure, and while it wasn't exactly what Jake wanted to hear, maybe it was the truth.

Jake makes it to Honeydukes and fills a bag with all the Chocolate Frogs it can hold without incident, and he makes his return to the castle feeling lighter - until he sees a light up ahead.

He immediately shuts off his own light, then begins to walk back, keeping his wand drawn and moving slowly so as not to make any noise. Once the light grows bright enough, he stops, preparing to attack, and just as the figure appears in his sight, he does.

"Stupefy!" Jake shouts, preparing for the figure to drop his wand - but he doesn't; instead, Jake hears a shout of Protego and prepares himself for the next curse, but it never comes.

He can see the other boy now, and he's not at all surprised to see that it's Nolan.

"Oh," Nolan says, as though he expected someone else to be in the secret passageway. Jake waits for him to make a move - grips the bag tighter in case Nolan makes a move for it - but nothing happens. "Uh, I'm not going to - you can put your wand down."

"I'm good," Jake says, keeping his wand drawn.

"Okay," Nolan says, shifting so that he's facing Jake directly. "I'm not going to curse you."

"That's good to hear," Jake says. "I'm not sure I believe you, though."

Nolan looks down. "Yeah. Uh, I’m just going to go, I guess. Sorry.”

He turns around, walking quickly back towards the castle. Jake stays put, wanting to keep plenty of distance between the two of them, and it is not until Nolan's wand light has moved out of Jake's line of vision that he allows himself to relax.

He makes it back to the common room shortly before curfew, and searches through the cards alone in his bed, not wanting to tell Charlie about his excursion just yet. The trip turns out to have been worth it, as Jake finds Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the few cards he had still been missing.

> _The current Minister of Magic, Shacklebolt was also a key contributor to the downfall of the dark wizard Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War. He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and an Auror at the time of the war, and acted as a spy at a time when the Ministry was growing increasingly corrupt. He has dedicated his work to reducing prejudice based on blood purity within the Ministry._

Jake already knows who Shacklebolt is, of course; he may not be the most informed on politics, but he at least knows who the Minister is. He pulls out his trunk, takes out the box, undoing the warding around it, and places the card inside with the rest of the new cards before going to sleep thinking of how Charlie's going to react.

-

Jake tells Charlie at breakfast the next morning, knowing that if he waits he'll just end up putting it off longer. Charlie isn't overjoyed, but he isn't mad, either.

"I can't fault you," he says. "Since you got a card, and all. But there was really no one you could've taken?"

"Does it matter now?" Jake asks. "He didn't do anything."

"I still think it's better not to go alone," Charlie says. "What if you ran into someone else?"

"Then I'll be ready," Jake says. "I could have dueled Patrick last night, and I fired at him right away, remember?"

"I know," Charlie sighs. "I'm still worried about you."

Before Jake can respond, Professor McGonagall calls for everyone's attention. Jake looks up, intrigued; normally, announcements only happen at dinner.

"I hope that you are all rested and eager to begin the day," she begins. "With that said, many students have been inquiring about the Chocolate Frog Card Inter-House Competition, so the professors and I have agreed to provide you all with an update. You'll be pleased to hear that the competition is indeed drawing to a close, with each participant needing no more than three cards."

Well, that puts Jake right at the bottom.

"For Gryffindor, Jake DeBrusk needs only Jaromir Jagr, Viktor Krum, and Luna Lovegood. For Ravenclaw, Connor McDavid needs only Viktor Krum, Sergei Fedorov, and Meghan Duggan. For Hufflepuff, Nico Hischier needs only Jaromir Jagr and Viktor Krum, and for Slytheirn, Jack Eichel needs only Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Fedorov. If any of you have access to these cards, now would be an excellent time to contribute. With that, I wish you all a good day."

Jake is glad to know that the competition is still pretty close, but it's concerning that almost everyone needs Jagr and Krum.

"Jagr and Krum are both from Eastern Europe, right?" Charlie asks him.

"Yeah," Jake confirms. "I don't think my dad has any plans to go there the rest of the year."

"Better work hard in Apparition class, then," Charlie says.

-

A week passes, and Jake is no closer to finding any of the three cards he needs. He has hope that he can find Lovegood before the competition ends; since she's British and he's the only one who doesn't have her, he assumes her card can be found in Honeydukes and must simply be rare. It's Jagr and Krum that he's worried about. Even though he's sure they can only be found outside of the country, Connor and Jack have already managed to find one each, and Nico is from Switzerland so it may only be a matter of time. It could take the rest of the school year for the competition to end, or it could end today, and Jake just has no way of knowing. All he can do is wait for his Apparition license.

He's thinking about this in Defense one afternoon, inspired by Professor Marchand's anecdote of the time he met Luna Lovegood at the Quidditch World Cup and got to hear her stories of the war and how she had defended herself. It is all very interesting, and Jake is half-listening, would be paying rapt attention on an ordinary day, but finding her card is more important to him at the moment.

After class, he gathers his things and prepares to leave, only to be stopped in the corridor by a hand on his shoulder. He turns around to see Sebastian Aho, a quiet Slytherin and Seeker of their Quidditch team.

"DeBrusk," Sebastian says, meeting his gaze. "Do you have a moment?"

“Sure,” Jake says, curious. He doesn't have another class that day.

“I know how to get a Jagr card. That’s what you need, right?"

Jake's eyes widen. "Yeah," he says instantly. "But-"

"I just ask one thing in return," Sebastian says.

"Okay," Jake says, "but why would you help me?"

"Do you want my help or not?" Sebastian asks, crossing his arms and not answering the question.

"What do you want me to do?" Jake asks.

"You're the best in our class at Potions," Sebastian says. "I happen to need a vial of Felix Felicis."

"You want me to brew you Liquid Luck," Jake says, and Sebastian nods. He isn’t sure what he had been expecting, but considering that Sebastian is in his NEWT-level Potions class, he should know better than to ask. "You know it takes six months to finish, right?”

“I know,” Sebastian says. “But I also know that we learned about it five and a half months ago, and considering your aptitude for Potions, I assume you already have some brewing.”

He’s right - Sebastian is far more perceptive than Jake would’ve thought him to be. Jake had been curious about the potion, and the tiny vial that they brewed as a class for the sake of demonstration had not been enough to satisfy him, so yes, he had gone ahead and started a brew of his own. He doesn’t have any particular plans for it, nor has he told anyone; he just wants to see the whole brewing process, and maybe try it just to see what the potion feels like.

“You’re sharp,” Jake says, figuring there’s no sense in lying. He only said he needs one vial; Jake can still finish the rest of the batch and try the potion himself sometime. “Why do you need it, though?"

Sebastian ducks his head. "It's - it's not important."

"I can't give you that potion without knowing what you're going to use it for," Jake says carefully. He doesn't want to push Sebastian away, knowing that this could be his only chance to get the Jagr card before Nico and Jack, but it's a very potent and potentially dangerous potion, not to mention that its use is illegal in many situations.

Sebastian sighs. "Do not tell anyone."

"I won't," Jake says, even though he knows he'll probably tell Charlie and Anders.

“Well, you see," Sebastian begins. "There’s this girl, Maddie Rooney. I really like her, but I can’t - I don’t know how to - well, you see why I need help.”

"You want to use Felix Felicis to ask a girl out?" Jake asks. "And not just any girl, but the Keeper of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team?"

"Do _not_ tell anyone," Sebastian says, his voice low and eyes narrowed.

"Of course not," Jake says, nodding vigorously. He isn't _scared_ , but admittedly, he really wouldn't want to mess with this guy.

"So will you do it or not?" Sebastian asks.

"You'll give me the information once I give you the potion?"

"Yes," Sebastian says.

"And how do I know you're not lying?" Jake asks.

"Why don't you ask McDavid?" Sebastian answers. "He knows that I know."

Jake doesn't respond to that. He could try asking Connor, but if Sebastian's telling the truth, then that would be admitting that Jake is about to get the Jagr card, and he doesn't want Connor to get any kind of edge on him. He's just going to have to trust Sebastian - for better or for worse.

"I swear I won't even tell anyone that we helped each other," Sebastian adds, and Jake thinks that he's growing impatient. “I know Eichel is my teammate and roommate, but we're not friends, and I don't care about House Points or this competition at all."

Jake weighs his options. If he says no, then he'll have to wait until April to have any chance at getting the Jagr card, and even then, he won't know exactly where he needs to go. If he says yes, there is the possibility that Sebastian is lying, but him asking a girl out isn't going to impact Jake's life in any way, and he’ll still have a few vials left for himself.

“Alright,” Jake says, a bit reluctantly. “I’ll do it.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 5,552

Two weeks pass before the potion is ready to be consumed. Jake returns to the Room of Requirement, pulling them out of their hiding place, and is pleased to see that they haven't been disturbed since the last time he checked. He wouldn't expect them to be, since he knows that most students don't know about the room, and he's left potions to stew there many times before without incident, but considering the newfound importance of this particular potion, he had been a bit worried. He pours the contents of the cauldron into a few vials, and ends up with three total vials. It’s not a lot, but it’ll do.

He hasn't told anyone about his deal with Sebastian. It's good news, the best news Jake has received in a while, and he wants to share it with Charlie and Anders at the very least, but he isn't sure they'd approve. He's making a deal with a Slytherin he has no real reason to trust, and even though Jake wants to believe that Sebastian is telling the truth, he really isn't sure, and he doesn't want Charlie to worry. If it goes wrong, and Jake doesn't get the information, he isn't sure he could trust Anders - either of them, really - not to threaten Sebastian to give up the information, and he doesn't want to be responsible for either of them getting in trouble. If it goes well, it goes well, and he'll tell them, and if not, he'll just forget the whole thing.

Jake arranges to meet with Sebastian after Defense again the next day, and once Professor Marchand dismisses the class, they leave together, heading into an empty classroom and locking it. Jake pulls the vial out of his bag, showing it to Sebastian but keeping a tight grip on it.

"Go ahead," he says. "How do I get the Jagr card?"

"It's going to be tough," Sebastian says. "And if it makes you feel better about the competition, McGonagall doesn't know any of this. See, my father knows Jagr personally, and the man is a bit… strange. When the company contacted him about putting him on a card, he was really weird about it. He requested that they send him a certain number of his own cards - sixty-eight, I believe - and only gave them permission to sell the cards in one shop."

"And where is that?" Jake asks.

"That's the tricky part," Sebastian answers. "It's in Pittsburgh. He lived there while he was doing much of his research, I guess, and developed a sort of connection to the place. It's the only candy shop in their wizarding village."

"Pittsburgh?" Jake asks, and Sebastian shrugs. Jake isn't sure what to do with this information. He has no way of getting to Pittsburgh before the end of the school year; it's too far to Apparate, and he doubts he could get approval for a Portkey, at least not until the summer. “How am I supposed to get the card, then?”

"I told you I know where to find them. You're on your own now," Sebastian says. "Can I have my potion?"

Jake hesitates. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"Think about it," Sebastian says. "Of all the people in this school, only Connor has the card already. You know his father knows Jagr too, right?"

"Why don't you just ask your father to get me a card? Then I'll give you this potion."

"Too bad," Sebastian smirks. "You already agreed to this."

"Any chance you'll need another vial?" Jake asks. He really doesn't want to give Sebastian another one, had wanted to save them for himself - though for what purpose, he isn't sure - but he has to use any chance he can get.

"Nope," Sebastian says. "Just the one. Which I'll be taking now; I do have places to be and things to do."

Jake sighs and hands him the vial. Sebastian takes it, puts it into his bag, and practically runs out of the room, leaving Jake alone.

 _Pittsburgh_. He is so, so screwed.

-

When Jake makes it back to the common room, he goes straight to Charlie, who is sitting on an armchair working on an essay.

"I have news," Jake says in lieu of a greeting. Charlie drops his quill, looking up at him. "It's important."

"Do you want to go somewhere private?" Charlie asks.

"Definitely," Jake says, and Charlie gets up, gathering his supplies. Once he has everything in his bag, Jake grabs his hand and leads him up to the dorms. Thankfully, Jake's dorm is empty, so the two of them settle on his bed, leaning against the wall with Jake's head on Charlie's shoulder, and begin to talk. "So, I found out how to get the Jagr card."

"How?" Charlie asks. "I mean - how'd you find out? And how do we get it?"

"You know Sebastian Aho, right?"

"Yeah, he's a bloody brilliant Seeker," Charlie says. "I swear he has laser vision. What about him?"

Jake explains the situation, starting with how Sebastian had come up to him and ending with his refusal to help Jake any further.

"Wait, but you still have more Liquid Luck?" Charlie asks.

"Yes," Jake says. "I don't know what I'm going to use it for."

"Then I know what we have to do," Charlie says. "Hold onto that potion."

"What are we doing?"

Charlie shifts so that he's facing Jake and takes both of his hands in his. "We're going to break into Jagr's house."

"You're not funny," Jake says.

"No, I'm serious," Charlie says, gripping his hands tighter.

Jake pulls away. "What the fuck?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"We can't just - do you have any idea how illegal that is?"

"Yes," Charlie says, rolling his eyes. "I'm fully aware. But what else are we going to do?"

"I…" Jake trails off. "What if I just take off to Pittsburgh?"

"You'd get in a lot more trouble for doing that," Charlie says. "You'd probably get expelled, and then there goes your entire future."

"And we could get sent to Azkaban or even Muggle prison for breaking into someone's _house_ , Charlie," Jake hisses, trying to keep his voice from rising. He doesn't want anyone else to hear this. "And oh, there goes our entire future."

"Not if we use Felix Felicis," Charlie says.

Jake wants to deny it, but Charlie does have a point. If everything he's read about the potion's power is true, that would be their best hope at not getting caught. No one fully understands how the potion works, but when you need something to go a certain way, the potion will always make sure that everything works in your favor. It's foolproof, or at least, that's what the literature says.

"Think about it," Charlie continues. "You have two vials. You drink one, I'll drink the other. One of us can break in while the other keeps watch. We'll have to wait until you get your Apparition license, of course, but it'll work. And even if it doesn't, just say it was all my idea, and that I threatened you, or even put you under the Imperius. I'll take the fall."

"Charlie, don't," Jake says. He doesn't want to break the law, and he's terrified of spending the rest of his life in prison, but the idea of Charlie taking the fall, throwing away his own life just to save Jake's - it's too much. "You don't even know if the potion's going to work."

"Of course it will," Charlie says. "It always works."

"Not if it isn't brewed correctly," Jake says. "What if I made a mistake? What if I collected it too early? What if-"

"Jake, stop," Charlie cuts him off. "You're brilliant, especially when it comes to Potions, and there's no way you did it wrong. But even if you did, Aho's going to use a vial from the same batch, right? We have to wait anyway. Just watch him and see if it works."

"That's a bit different," Jake mutters. "Rooney could say yes even without the potion. He's just insecure, or whatever."

"I don't know," Charlie says. "I've heard some rumors, and I don't think it's going to be that easy. I'm curious to see what'll happen."

"Fine," Jake sighs. "I'm not agreeing to your plan, because it's fucking stupid, but I'll see what happens, and if I don't come up with something better, then _maybe_ I'll think about it."

-

A week passes, and though Jake asks Willy to update him on the gossip every day, it seems Sebastian hasn't even tried using the potion. Jake isn't sure what he's waiting for; he understands that it's nerve-wracking to ask someone out, but the potion will make all of that go away. Maybe he's just waiting for a certain day - the anniversary of the day they first spoke, or something sappy like that. Or maybe he's just busy with Quidditch practice. They are in different houses and different years; it's possible that their schedules just haven't aligned yet. He knows he needs to be patient.

He wonders, though, if Sebastian may have been too patient. Jake is sitting alone in the Great Hall, looking around to see what everyone else is doing since none of his friends have arrived yet, when he happens to glance over at the Hufflepuff table. Maddie Rooney is there, and she's holding hands with another girl, someone Jake doesn't recognize. They sit down together, leaving little space in between, and the other girl reaches over to kiss Maddie.

The potion isn't going to work, then. He's really going to have to think of another way, because even if Sebastian drinks the potion and asks her out, she's clearly already taken. Unless maybe it leads him to something else, maybe just helps him figure out a spell he's been having trouble with, or helps him forge a new relationship that will eventually be the one he's needed all along, but how would Jake even know?

He’s going to have to come up with another plan.

Soon, the post arrives, and Jake is distracted from his thoughts by the arrival of another package from his father. He’s lucky enough to find Luna Lovegood’s card, and while it doesn’t do much to calm his nerves about Jagr, it makes him feel better to know that he now only needs two more cards.

> _Lovegood is a well-known Magizoologist who has discovered and classified numerous species which had previously never been encountered. Her contributions to the field have revolutionized the field of Magizoology. She also participated in the Battle of Hogwarts during the Second Wizarding War._

-

With the next weekend comes the day all of Hogwarts has been waiting for: the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. Slytherin is the only team to have managed two wins so far, making them the clear favorites, but if Gryffindor can score at least 90 points more than Slytherin, they'll win. It won't be easy, and it isn't especially likely, but it's possible.

Jake is full of nervous energy, possibly more so than anyone else who isn't actually on the team. Everyone on the team is someone he would consider an acquaintance at the very least, and many of them are his best friends. After the humiliating loss to Ravenclaw last year, in which Connor had scored over 200 points alone, securing victory despite Cayla being the one to catch the Snitch, Jake knows how much this means to the Gryffindor team - no, to all of Gryffindor.

As lax of a captain as Willy may normally be, Jake knows the team has been working harder than he's ever seen them work before. He's been sitting in on their practices, doing his homework outside in the chilly air of early spring because it's the only time he can find to spend with his best friends. Every day, they spend no less than two hours on the Quidditch pitch, with Slytherin having reserved the rest of the evening each night. Both teams are hungry, not having won the Quidditch Cup in the past four years, and it's going to be a great match.

Jake ends up sitting with Pasta and Brandon, both of them choosing to root for Gryffindor because they have more friends there than in Slytherin. It's good enough for Jake, though he's intending to focus on the match, not his friends.

Soon enough, the players come onto the pitch, and Teddy Lupin begins announcing the lineups.

"For Slytherin!" He yells, projecting his voice magically around the pitch. "Keeper Aerin Frankel! Seeker Sebastian Aho! Beaters Kali Flanagan and Alina Mueller! Chasers Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and your captain, Leon Draisaitl!"

The Slytherin section cheers, and the players take flight.

"For Gryffindor!" Teddy yells. "Keeper Megan Keller! Seeker Cayla Barnes! Beaters Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy! Chasers Brock Boeser, Anders Bjork, and your captain, William Nylander!"

Jake cheers along with the rest of his section, and the Gryffindor players take flight. Charlie catches his eye from the pitch, and Jake offers him a reassuring smile.

Once everyone is lined up and ready to begin, Madam Hooch releases the Snitch, the Bludgers, and finally, the Quaffle, and the match begins. Willy wins the opening faceoff, and Jake has a good feeling about this game.

It doesn't last.

Jake is watching Charlie, who's just hit a Bludger towards Auston, when most of the crowd stands up, pointing across the pitch. Jake looks, and sees that Sebastian is flying faster than Jake had ever thought possible, chasing after something no one else can see - the Snitch, presumably. Cayla races after him, but it's too late; within seconds, Sebastian has caught up to the Snitch and stopped, displaying it triumphantly in his hand. It's over. Slytherin wins, 150-0, not even thirty seconds into the match.

"That has to be a record," Pasta says, laughing in disbelief.

"If I had just finished reading that chapter like I said I was going to, I'd have missed the whole match," Brandon says. "Wow!"

Jake doesn't say anything. He's still in shock. With how hard Gryffindor has been training, their determination, he'd thought they had a real chance. And they would have, he supposes, if it weren't for -

Sebastian.

-

"I'm so sorry," Jake says. He's alone with Charlie, or at least, as alone as they're going to find in the common room. Several hours have passed, and most of the school has moved on, filtering out to the library or the castle grounds to spend their Saturday. Not Charlie, though. He still hasn't actually spoken to Jake; they've been sitting on one of the couches in a corner, Charlie leaning his head against Jake's shoulder, the two of them sitting in silence, grateful only that the others are leaving them alone.

Charlie pulls his head away, looking at Jake. "It's not your fault."

"It's not yours, either," Jake counters. "But I'm the one who gave him the potion."

"You didn't know," Charlie says.

"I should've at least told you about it before I did it," Jake says, crossing his arms and looking away. "Merlin, I'm so fucking stupid. Of course he was lying."

"Jake, stop," Charlie says. "You're not stupid. You're just - trusting."

Jake laughs humorlessly. "Whatever you want to call it."

Charlie reaches out, nudging at Jake's arm until he uncrosses them, letting Charlie take his hand and looking at him. "You can't blame yourself for this."

"Well, I do," Jake says.

"Okay, fine," Charlie's voice starts to rise. "You know what? Yes, it was fucking stupid to actually believe him, and if you'd asked me before you gave it to him, I'd have told you that. But it doesn't _matter_ , Jake. Because we needed that information. Without it, we'd have absolutely no plan, and you know what else? We still may not have won the Quidditch match. It would've been longer, and closer, but they're still a better team than us on paper. _You_ didn't cause us to lose. You understand?"

Jake nods. "I understand," he whispers.

"So yes, it was stupid to believe him, but that doesn't make you stupid. I have two more years to win the Quidditch cup, and we have less than two months at _most_ to win this competition. If you'd asked me before giving him the potion, I'd have told you do it anyway."

"Charlie," Jake says, and stops.

"You good, then?" Charlie asks, lowering his voice. "That's more than enough sentimentality for one day."

Jake laughs. "Yeah, yeah," he says. "I'm good."

"Good," Charlie says, grinning, and leans over to kiss him.

They break apart after a moment, not wanting to go too far in the common room with others around, and Charlie slips an arm around Jake's shoulders, pulling him closer. They stay like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company after a few weeks of barely seeing each other, until Jake breaks the silence.

"Speaking of ideas that are stupid," he says.

"I'm listening," Charlie says.

Jake looks around, making sure no one is listening. "That stupid plan you had involving Jagr? Let's do it."

"You mean-" Charlie stops, not wanting to say it where anyone could hear.

"Yes," Jake says, knowing they're on the same page. "It's an absolutely terrible idea, but - you were right. We don't have anything better, and we're having a hard enough time getting the Krum card, and we have - you know. So why not?"

"Wow," Charlie says. "I didn't think you'd come around, but yeah, of course, let's do it."

"Great," Jake says, even though it's anything but. "Oh, and for the record, if things do go wrong, you're not taking the fall. Not alone, anyway. We go down together."

"Okay, fine," Charlie agrees, albeit reluctantly. "What's the plan, then? To not get caught, that is."

"Not here," Jake says, gesturing to the students hanging around. "After dinner, you know the place?"

"Huh?" Charlie asks, and Jake shoots him a look. Apparently, it works. "Oh, yeah, that place," he says. "Got it."

-

After dinner, they meet in the Room of Requirement to come up with a plan.

"Okay," Charlie begins. "We have five weeks until you get your Apparition license."

"Assuming I pass the test," Jake adds, and Charlie glares at him.

"You're going to pass the test. Anyway, that gives us five weeks to prepare, so we have time," Charlie says.

Jake nods. "How are we going to get into his house?"

"Uh…"

"I have time to make Polyjuice Potion," Jake says. "But it would be easier if we were invisible."

"Do you have an Invisibility Cloak?" Charlie asks.

"No," Jake says. "But we could use the Disillusionment Charm."

"The what?"

"It turns you invisible, if your spell is strong enough," Jake says. "It's difficult to master, and I haven't learned it yet myself, but if we use our time wisely, we'll be able to cast it. As for the strength, well, we'll have the Liquid Luck to help us out with that."

"Let's do it," Charlie says. "We can just meet here after dinner every night, since there's no more Quidditch practice."

"Sounds like a plan," Jake says, grinning. He's sure that practicing the Disillusionment Charm isn't the only thing they're going to do in solitude every night.

"So, we'll just turn invisible, one of us will sneak in and get the card, and the other will keep watch?" Charlie asks.

"Sure," Jake says. "How are we going to make sure Jagr's not home?"

"We can send him a fake letter?" Charlie suggests.

"Could also just wait for him to leave," Jake says. "Less risk involved."

"Alright," Charlie agrees.

"The last Hogsmeade weekend is two days after the Apparition exam, so we should go before then," Jake says. “Connor and Jack will have their licenses, too, so they might get similar ideas.”

"Okay," Charlie says. "Now, we just have to focus on getting Krum and hoping no one else beats us to it."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Jake quips.

-

"I hate this," Charlie groans, throwing his Herbology textbook down on the couch.

"You're the one who procrastinated," Jake says, a smug grin on his face. They're in the Gryffindor common room, Charlie studying for his OWLs and Jake occasionally helping him in between doing his own work.

"I wasn't _procrastinating_ ," Charlie insists. "I had Quidditch practice, and on top of that, I was helping you."

Jake hums, shaking his head. "You still had most of the weekends."

Charlie presses a hand to his heart, gasping dramatically. "Do you not appreciate my sacrifice?"

"Nope," Jake deadpans. "I'm the worst boyfriend ever."

"The worst," Charlie says, giggling as he fails to keep a straight face. Jake can't help but to smile at how cute he is, trying to be serious. He moves closer to Charlie, kissing him, though he keeps it brief. Charlie looks up at him as he pulls away, and Jake can tell that he's ready to complain about being cut short.

"I'm not kissing you again until you finish this section," Jake says, turning back to his own work. Charlie protests, but Jake ignores him.

Eventually, Charlie gives up, turning back to his studying. They go on like this for a while, probably about two hours, until Jake is startled by the slamming of a book cover.

"Finished," Charlie says triumphantly.

Jake looks up from his essay. "Alright, what is a plant that can move and make noise?"

"Screechsnap," Charlie answers easily. "Now, can we please talk about literally anything other than Herbology?"

"Of course," Jake says, smiling. He's getting tired of this Transfiguration essay, and could use a distraction himself, but not without messing with Charlie first. "What’s the incantation for the Vanishing Spell?"

"Fuck off," Charlie laughs. "I was actually thinking we could talk about Krum."

"As a Quidditch star, or as a Chocolate Frog Card?" Jake asks, just to be difficult.

"You know," Charlie says, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I was thinking, we were so caught up in planning for the Jagr card after you found out about it, but since we have a plan for that now…"

"Yeah," Jake says. "He’s from Bulgaria, could be a regional exclusive. If it is, we might have to Apparate there too."

"I know," Charlie sighs. "But there could be another way. It might take the whole day to get the Jagr card, and we probably won't have time to go to both countries in the same day. If Connor or Jack gets the same idea, we won't make it."

"Do you know if there's anyone from Bulgaria in Gryffindor?" Jake asks.

"No," Charlie says, shaking his head. "We could ask some of the Europeans we do know, though."

Jake shrugs. "Better than nothing."

-

Over the next few days, Jake asks around to see if anyone could help him get a Krum card. It's frustrating, because he doesn't really know whether he'd have to go to Bulgaria to get one, or whether a card from any part of Eastern Europe would do. For all he knows, it's possible that the card is even available in the UK; it could just be particularly rare.

Regardless, he and Charlie agreed to stick to Bulgaria for a reason. He knows that some of the cards are very rare, and there's no particular reason to believe a Krum card could be found in the UK. Of all the cards, really, Krum has had the least impact on the country, having not been particularly relevant since the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.

Jake asks all the European Gryffindors he knows, which, admittedly, isn't that many. He doesn't bother asking Willy, knowing now that his family won't be of any help, which leaves only Andrei, Urho, and Lias. Of course, none of them are from Bulgaria, or even anywhere nearby, so naturally, they don’t know anyone from there, leaving Jake without much hope of ever finding a Krum card.

He's starting to resign himself to having to Apparate to Bulgaria. He doesn't know if he'll have the time, given that Connor and Jack will also be able to Apparate to find whichever cards they still need, and since Connor needs only one, he'll be able to make it to Bulgaria much faster than Jake. Sure, he won't have Felix Felicis on his side, but Liquid Luck alone isn't going to give Jake several extra hours in the day. A time turner would be perfect, but he certainly has no way of getting one of those.

He thinks about asking Pasta, even though they're not in the same House and Pasta's already helped him one time too many, just because he's the only person Jake knows from Eastern Europe. Maybe he could try asking Jordyn; they've barely spoken since returning from Winter Break, what with Jake being so absorbed in the competition, and Jake knows she's rooting for Connor over him, preferring to support her House over her brother. Still, they are family, so she might be willing to help, and she might know someone from Bulgaria.

Jake isn't sure of her schedule, but he knows she has classes later than him, so for now, he heads back to his dorm. He has a Charms essay to write, but he'll get to that later; for now, he needs a nap, and it's unlikely that any of his roommates will be there.

He only wishes that he'd got there sooner. The area around his bed is a mess, broken glass and liquid spilled onto the wooden floor, his trunk open and everything inside scattered, someone clearly having been searching it. Jake runs over to the bed, digging through the trunk to check if everything is there - to check if the _cards_ are there, _fuck_ , what if the cards are gone?

They're still there, at the bottom of his trunk, hidden in an envelope. He breathes out a sigh of relief, and it is then that he realizes what the broken glass and liquid are from: the Felix Felicis.

The two vials have been shattered, and the contents of the potion are spilled onto the floor. Jake reaches back into the trunk, searching for an empty vial. As soon as he finds one, he lowers it to the floor, trying to scoop up what little of the potion he can. He just barely manages to get a few drops, and it's not enough for what they have to do, not even close. At best, it's the amount that would have stuck to the sides of the vial after drinking what he had brewed before, a nearly inconsequential amount.

If only there were a spell for picking up spilled liquid. There might be, he supposes, but Jake certainly doesn't know any, and he can't just leave the potion spilled on the floor while he searches the library. He has to give up, and as much as it pains him to do so, he seals the few drops of Felix Felicis in their vial and cleans up the mess.

After he closes his trunk, having re-organized its contents, he goes to sit on his bed, figuring that he still has time for a brief nap, and it is only then that he notices the card sitting on top of his pillow.

Viktor Krum.

Jake picks it up, not fully believing what he's seeing, but the animated face staring back at him is unmistakable.

> _Known as one of the best Quidditch players of the late 20th and early 21sts centuries, Krum is best known for having played as Seeker for the Bulgarian National Team in numerous Quidditch World Cups before retiring in 2002, though he has said that he plans to come out of retirement for the 2014 tournament. He also participated in the Triwizard Tournament in 1994._

There's no note, no way for Jake to know who left the card there. It must have been a Gryffindor, as anyone else would've had a hard time getting into his dorm, but if that were the case, why not just give it to him directly?

The potion, Jake supposes. Whoever left the card must have also shattered the vials. But how could they have known about them? He hasn't even told anyone other than Charlie. If he had told Anders, he might have told Willy, who, of course, would have told everybody, but Charlie? Jake knows his boyfriend wouldn't have told anyone else, though it's possible that someone overheard one of their conversations. Still, why would a Gryffindor sabotage him?

Not that it hasn't happened before, but this is different. When Nolan attacked him, he had been doing so out of loyalty to Nico; Jake knows that his loyalty still lies with Hufflepuff for that reason alone. Despite Nolan's apology and his lack of action in the passageway, Jake could still believe that he would attempt to sabotage him; before finding the card, he had been the primary suspect in Jake's mind.

But he wouldn't try to help Jake, so he wouldn't have left the card. It must have been someone else.

-

"This room is fucking awesome," Anders says, looking around the Room of Requirement. Jake and Charlie are practicing the Disillusionment Charm, as they've done every day for a week now, and this time, Anders managed to convince Jake to let him tag along. "Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

Jake shrugs. "Didn't see a reason to take you here."

"Ouch," Anders says, holding a hand up to his heart. "I'm wounded."

"Too bad we're not practicing any healing spells," Charlie says, and they all laugh before getting to work.

By this point, Jake and Charlie have mastered the incantation, and have successfully made themselves translucent. They know how to cast the spell, but being translucent simply isn't good enough.

"Now, this time, we need to try to put more intent into it," Jake says. "Some spells do rely heavily on willpower, and it appears this is one of them. If you have to, imagine that Jagr is actually walking right by you."

"You two are actually doing this?" Anders asks. "Breaking into Jagr's house, I mean?"

Jake had told him about the plan the previous night, and Anders reacted about how Jake had expected him to. He thought it was a thrilling plan, and a brilliant idea, one that only Charlie could've come up with, though he was skeptical that Jake would actually go through with it.

"Yes," Jake confirms.

"Unless you have a better idea of how to get that card," Charlie says. "It's one of the last ones he needs."

"About that-"

"Did you get another one?" Charlie asks before Jake can finish.

"Yeah," he says. It had only been a few hours since he'd found the Krum card, and he hadn't wanted to bring the subject up in the Great Hall, so he hadn't had the chance to tell anyone yet. Jake tells them about the mess he had found, taking a moment to tell Anders about their plan for the Felix Felicis as he hadn't even told him before the vials were destroyed, and he tells them about the card he found.

"Wow," Charlie says when he's done. "Well, you know who I suspect."

"Who?" Anders asks.

"Nolan Patrick, obviously," Charlie says.

"I don't know," Jake says. "Why would he give me a card, especially such a rare one that everyone knows I need? Why not just destroy the vials and leave it at that? Not to mention that I thought he was serious about leaving me alone."

"Why does it have to be the same person?" Anders suggests. "Maybe one of your roommates left the card there, or just another Gryffindor, and he came in afterward to destroy the vials."

"But then wouldn't he have taken the card?" Charlie asks. "Sabotage him even further?"

"I still think it was someone else," Jake says. "We don't know everyone in Gryffindor. There could easily be some first-year who has it out for me for whatever reason."

"Aren't you two supposed to be practicing your spell anyway?" Anders asks.

"Yeah, you're right," Jake says. "We might never know who did it, but it's already done, right? And without the potion, we're really going to need to be good at this spell."

"Maybe a few more spells, too," Charlie adds. "Like a spell to completely mask any noise we might make, and a spell to disable any warding he might have up around his house that would alert him of an intruder."

"This is going to be harder than we thought," Jake sighs.

"Hey, if you two get arrested, I'll come and visit you in Azkaban," Anders says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Charlie rolls his eyes. "Thanks. Shouldn't you be studying for your NEWTs?"

Anders raises a hand. "Alright, fine," he says, sitting down and opening a textbook.

Jake and Charlie get back to work, focusing even harder than before on getting the Disillusionment Charm just right. They aren't quite there yet, but Jake is getting close; a look in the mirror reveals that he's managed to make one side of his body transparent, though the other half is still translucent. A few more days of practice, perhaps, and he'll be able to cast it perfectly.

At least they have time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 5,545

Over the next few weeks, Jake and Charlie do perfect the Disillusionment Charm, and several other spells in addition to that. They've mastered everything that they imagine could be useful to them, and at this point, it's merely a matter of waiting for Jake to get his license. Still, they continue to meet every night to practice the spells, and if they occasionally get up to more than just practicing, well, no one has to know.

Jake's father has continued to send him packages, a new one arriving just about every week. He appreciates it, really, but it's been going on long enough that he knows he should tell his father that he doesn't need them anymore. If his father had any plans to travel to Pittsburgh, Jake would absolutely welcome the packages, but Pittsburgh isn't exactly a popular tourist location, especially not for wizards.

It is this that brings him to the Owlery late one night, just a few days before he's set to receive his license. He's been in the library most of the day, and there's less than an hour until curfew, so he doesn't expect to see anyone else sending a letter. Of course, because he doesn't expect to see anyone, he does.

Because Jake's luck is the way that it is, it's Nolan. He's on his way out, so Jake could very easily ignore him, but something tells him not to. Maybe it's the lingering disquiet of not knowing who broke into his dorm - none of his roommates knew anything, and Jake still has no idea who it could've been - or maybe he's just been in the library too long and is desperate for any human interaction.

"Hey," Jake says, and Nolan stops. "Sending a letter?"

"Yeah," Nolan answers, without elaborating. He's grimacing, not even trying to pretend that he wants to be talking to Jake right now.

"Oh, same here," Jake says, pretending not to notice Nolan's discomfort. "Just figured I'd update my dad on the competition, you know? Anyway, speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Krum card, would you?"

"I don't know," Nolan says. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Just making conversation," Jake says. "I know Nico has one, right? Figured I'd ask."

"He got two," Nolan mumbles, and if Jake weren't looking at his face and reading his lips, he wouldn't have even known he was speaking.

"Oh, did he?" Jake asks. "Well, good for him. I'm still looking, you know."

It's a lie, but Nolan's face contorts just the tiniest bit, and Jake is fairly sure that he's confused, though he doesn't say anything.

Interesting.

"It'd be easier if I had some Felix Felicis," Jake says, laughing, trying not to make it sound too fake. Nolan quirks up the corner of his lip, just a little. Jake tries to meet his eye, but Nolan turns away, facing back towards the castle.

"It's late," he says. "I should go."

Without another word, Nolan walks away, leaving Jake alone to send his letter. As he gives it to one of the school owls, watching it fly off into the night, he thinks that Charlie may have been right about Nolan, though he’ll probably never know for sure.

-

Finally, the day of the Apparition exam arrives. Jake, due to his surname being towards the beginning of the alphabet, is one of the first to go, and he passes the exam with flying colors. He receives his license and immediately leaves the Great Hall to find Charlie.

"Did you pass?" Charlie says as soon as Jake walks up to him.

"Yeah, of course," Jake says, and Charlie pulls him in for a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispers, then pulls apart, kissing Jake on the cheek. "Okay, we need to go now."

They make their way to the secret passage, and once they've reached the basement of Honeydukes, they walk through the store and head outside. It takes them a few minutes to find an empty alley, and once they do, Jake grabs Charlie's hand.

"Do you trust me?" He asks.

"Of course," Charlie says immediately.

Jake pulls the vial out of his robe pocket and shows it to Charlie.

"I didn't mention this before, but I did manage to get a few drops off the floor," he says. "I know it's not exactly hygenic, and it's not really enough to do anything, but if we believe it'll work, maybe it'll help us out, just a little bit."

"What is that, one drop each?" Charlie asks.

"Pretty much," Jake says. "If it even works, it'll only give us a few minutes, so we'll have to wait until we're about to enter the house. One of us, anyway; I suppose the other will have to keep watch."

"You should just take it," Charlie says. "You brewed it because you wanted to experience the feeling, right?"

"So you're saying I should be the one to break in," Jake sighs. He still isn’t too keen on breaking the law, but he doesn’t want Charlie doing it either, so it’s really a lose-lose situation. "Well, it is my competition, so it's only fair."

"You don't have to," Charlie says. "I'll do it, if you'd prefer."

"No," Jake says. "I'll do it. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Charlie says, and with that, Jake concentrates on the images of Svoževes, the Czech wizarding village that Jagr now lives in, that he had found in a book in the library. He can't take them right to Jagr's house, as he's never been and doesn't know what it looks like, but he knows it's a small town, and he hopes the images of the center of the village will be enough.

It's dangerous to Apparate to somewhere one has never been, even more so for someone who's only just learned how to do it, and Jake knows that if his parents were to find out, they'd probably keep him from going back for his seventh year at the very least. There's a serious risk that one or both of them could end up splinched, and Jake is terrified, but it's their only chance, so he takes it.

In an instant, the scenery changes. The village they're in is older than Hogsmeade, judging by the architecture, and not as busy. Jake is thankful for that, as he had only been able to Apparate them to the center, not having images of any isolated sections to work with. He looks over to Charlie, trying to see if he's alright, and he's still in one piece, so Jake figures it must have been a success. He looks himself over, too, and sure enough, nothing is amiss. Before anyone can see them, they each cast the Disillusionment Charm, not wanting to be seen in the village as it's a small community, smaller even than Hogsmeade, and any visitors would not be able to escape the residents' notice.

They keep their hands linked, not wanting to lose sight of one another, and begin walking. They don't have a real plan for finding Jagr's house; all they know is that it's on the edge of town, though which edge, they don’t know, and given Jagr's international acclaim and prowess in Potions, they assume the house will be quite grand.

Jake loses track of how much time it takes, but it must be several hours of walking all around the village before they finally find it. The house isn't quite as grand as he'd expected; it's large, sure, and the design is nice, but it's clear that no one has mowed the lawn or trimmed the bushes in over a year. Jake isn't sure what Jagr's been doing, but he must be preoccupied with something, to the point that he can't even bother to cast a landscaping spell or hire someone else to do it for him.

"Are we sure that he's going to come out?" Charlie asks, and if Jake could see him, he imagines he'd be gesturing towards the unkempt lawn.

"We'll have to use a tracking spell," Jake says. "See if anyone’s inside. I don't want to stand here all day."

-

The tracking spell reveals that Jagr is indeed inside, and judging by the state of the lawn and the rumors he's heard about Jagr's new line of work, Jake doesn't feel confident that he's likely to come outside.

"We need a way to lure him out," Charlie says. "Should we try that fake letter?"

Jake winces. "I didn't bring any parchment, but either way, I'm not sure that would be the best idea. Wouldn't take long for him to notice it's fake."

Charlie sighs, and though he's still invisible, no longer holding Jake's hand, he can sense him moving, imagines that he's crossing his arms and furrowing his brow as he thinks.

"I have an idea," Charlie says, finally. "But you're not going to like it."

"What is it?" Jake asks, preparing himself for the worst.

"I'll cast the counter curse, turn visible, knock on his door, and just bother him while you sneak in and get it," Charlie says, sounding far too calm about the situation.

"Are you _insane_?" Jake hisses. "What are you going to tell him? That you're such a big fan of his? That won't get him to curse you."

"No, I'll come up with something better," Charlie says.

"Do it now," Jake says. "I'm not going in there unless I'm confident you won't get caught."

"Fine," Charlie sighs, and for a moment, they're both quiet, thinking. Jake watches the house, searching for any sign of movement, but he doesn't see any; relying on Jagr eventually leaving the house is something they simply do not have the time for. "I still don't have a _good_ idea," Charlie says at last, "but it's something."

"What is it?" Jake asks.

"Just trust me, okay?"

"Charlie," Jake says.

"I promise it'll give you at least ten minutes, and with the Liquid Luck, that should be enough," Charlie says.

"Why can't you just-"

"Because you'll tell me not to do it," Charlie cuts in. "And we're running out of time."

"If you _know_ you shouldn't be doing it-" Jake stops, watching as Charlie suddenly becomes visible, having undone his Disillusionment Charm. He holds a finger up to his lips.

"I'm about to go up and knock on the door," he whispers. "Once I do, you need to drink the potion, and as soon as he opens the door, you slip in. Okay?"

"This is fucking crazy," Jake whispers back.

"So that's a yes?" Charlie asks, grinning, and even though Charlie can't see him, Jake smiles as well. He's still annoyed that Charlie won't listen to him, and he's even more anxious than before now that he doesn't even know what the plan is, but somehow, just being with Charlie, he feels like things are going to work out somehow, even knowing that they probably won't. At least if they go to Azkaban, they'll go together, and it won't be a life sentence. Jake doesn't know how his life has come to the point that going to Azkaban is more than a distant, irrational nightmare, but he supposes it makes him a true Gryffindor. Or just dumb. Probably both.

"How's my invisibility?" Jake asks, confirming to Charlie that he's going with the plan, if it can even be called that.

"I have no idea where you even are," Charlie says, and Jake believes him because he's looking far enough to the right that he almost wouldn't even notice if Jake were to turn visible.

"Let's go, then," Jake says, and as they walk, he pulls the vial back out from his robes and uncaps it in preparation. They walk up to the door, and without hesitation, Charlie knocks. Jake stands just beside him, next to the opening of the door, ready to slip through as soon as he finds the opportunity. From inside, he can hear footsteps approaching. It's time.

He brings the vial to his lips, tilting it, watching the drops of liquid run down. Once it reaches the tip, he sticks out his tongue, having to reach to get it all, and swallows, putting the vial back in his robe pocket. Despite the miniscule amount, he can taste a faint trace of honey, and as soon as he swallows, he starts to feel ecstatic. Whereas before he had felt anxious, unsure, even with the reassurance provided by Charlie's presence, now he feels like he can do anything. He almost wants to just open the door himself, forget about the rules, but he knows it isn't right, so he waits.

Soon enough, the door opens, and a man appears. He's about as unkempt as his house, with long black hair that looks as though it hasn't been brushed in months and a beard which clearly hasn't ever been trimmed. There are various stains on his light blue robe, none of which Jake can identify, but they certainly aren't blood or anything equally sinister. Some of them are dark, others light and shimmery; Jake is starting to think that the rumors about his work must be true. Jagr has the door propped open with his arm, leaving no space for Jake to fit through, so he waits, trusting Charlie to handle the situation. That in itself is different; normally, he'd already be trying to take control, but some hidden force - the potion, he supposes - is telling him to let Charlie handle this.

Jagr speaks, looking directly at Charlie, but Jake doesn't know what he says. It must be in Czech; of course, in such a remote village, Jagr wouldn't assume that any visitors are from anywhere else. They hadn't prepared for this, though.

Charlie doesn't say anything, but his eyes widen, and he bites his lip.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Jagr asks, in English this time.

"Oh, please, sir," Charlie says, and Jake is glad his years of friendship with Anders and Willy have helped him perfect the art of keeping a straight face. He's never heard Charlie sound so desperate, to the point that it's not even believable; he'll have to tell him later that he's not a very good actor. He hopes Jagr doesn't notice. "You have to help me; I don't know where I am."

"On my property," Jagr says. "In Svoževes. Who are you?"

Charlie presses his hands together, wringing them, really trying to sell it. "I don't know," he says softly. "I don't remember anything."

"You're not trying to sell me anything?" Jagr asks.

"No sir," Charlie says.

"You don't have questions?  Do you know who I am?"

"No," Charlie says again. "Should I, sir?"

"Of course not," Jagr says, a faint hint of a smile on his face. He's beginning to ease up, Jake notices, and sure enough, he begins to step away from the door, opening it wider. "Why don't you come in? I can get you some coffee, then we can get you a healer."

"Oh!" Charlie exclaims, smiling. "Yes, sir, that would be lovely, thank you."

Jagr opens the door further, and finally, Jake is able to fit through. He checks to make sure that Jagr's full attention is on Charlie, and as soon as he knows it's safe, he enters the house.

The interior isn't as bad as he'd expected; it's cluttered, books and papers scattered all over every surface, but the floor is clean, and there isn't rubbish lying around or anything worse than one would typically find in a Hogwarts dorm. He doesn't take the time to look, though; he keeps walking, not paying too much attention to where he's going. The potion is pulling him towards the back of the house, so he follows it, until finally, he stops at a closed door, feeling as though he's in the right spot.

Jake pulls out his wand. "Alohomora," he whispers, and sure enough, the door opens. He checks behind him, and once he knows Jagr isn't watching, he slips inside.

Sebastian had been telling the truth after all. The room is small, with only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling; Jake assumes it must have once been a closet. It doesn't have any furniture, though the walls are entirely covered in Chocolate Frog Cards. They've been stuck to the wall like wallpaper, covering every inch, and Jake knows that if he takes one, Jagr's going to notice.

He doesn't have a choice, though, not when they've already come this far, so he reaches out and pulls at the first card he sees.

It doesn't budge.

He moves on, trying the next card he sees, but it won't move either, nor will the next.

This is the part where he might normally freak out, but the potion reminds him that he can get through this. They've obviously been attached to the wall magically; he'll just have to figure out a way to unstick them. He looks around the room, trying to see if there are any hidden shelves or trap doors that might lead to another stash of cards, but it appears the ones on the walls are the only ones he's going to find.

Jake doesn't know much about sticking spells, but he hopes there isn't a specific counter curse to undo them.

"Finite Incantatem," he whispers, aiming his wand directly at a card in the bottom corner of the wall. Thankfully, it works, and the card comes off; unfortunately, however, even in the lower corner, it's obvious that a card is missing. Jake looks down at the card, knowing that the sooner he figures out how to replace it, the sooner he can get back to Hogwarts, and the sooner he can win the competition.

> _Jagr is best known as one of the most brilliant Potions Masters of the past two centuries, having devised many potions to accomplish tasks that were once thought impossible, such as preventing male-pattern baldness and allowing the recipient to return to a younger version of themselves. Reportedly, Jagr has since turned to Alchemy, and has made advances towards an Elixir of Life that does not require the Philosopher’s Stone to work._

He already knows most of this, of course; he'd had to skim through an entire book on Jagr just to be able to Apparate here, and in the short time he'd spent watching Jagr and Charlie, he had already determined that the rumors must be true. All he needs now is to replace the card. Jake isn't sure if the Doubling Charm will really work, given that it doesn't replicate an object's magical properties, but he doesn't know what else to do, so he tries it.

"Geminio," he whispers, and as soon as the card duplicates, he lifts the spell. Right on top of the card in his hand is an exact replica, though in this one, Jagr isn't moving. Jake places it on the floor, leaning against the wall. He steps back, admiring it, and decides that it really isn't very obvious. It would help if he knew the sticking charm, but he doesn't, so he's glad he decided to take a card from the bottom of the wall. Propped up against the wall, it isn't quite so obvious that the card isn't really attached, and certainly not to someone who's standing. Jagr will probably notice eventually, but as long as Charlie never leaves his sight, he'll never be able to determine who is responsible. Perhaps that tiny bit of Felix Felicis really had been enough.

It's too soon to say that, though, Jake knows. He places the card in his pocket, along with the rest of the collection; he’d brought them all with him for the sake of being able to present them to McGonagall as soon as possible upon his return. He leaves the closet as quietly as he entered, shutting the door behind him without any sound. Jake can already feel the potion beginning to wear off, and he knows that they need to get out of there soon. He can't afford to be caught, and if Charlie were to actually meet with a Healer, or even worse, be taken to a hospital, they'd be in serious trouble.

He walks down the hallway, eventually finding himself in the living room, where Charlie is sitting with Jagr, still drinking his coffee. There isn't a Healer in sight, for which Jake is thankful; he can't even begin to imagine how they'd deal with that.

Now, he has to get Charlie's attention without getting Jagr's, which, considering that Jagr refuses to leave the boy alone inside his home, is not going to be easy.

"You sure you don't remember anything?" Jagr asks, and Jake feels like he must not have missed much.

"I… I don't know," Charlie says, looking around the room - looking for Jake, he realizes. "I can't - I think there was a flash of - of white, and then I just - I don't know, I just woke up here."

Jake walks slowly around the couch, until finally, he's standing almost directly behind Jagr, though several meters back. Charlie is looking in his direction, but Jagr can't see him; as long as Charlie can act natural, they'll be able to pull it off. Jake picks up a book from the bookshelf he's standing next to, waving it around in the air so that it's clear something is amiss. Charlie notices, his eyes briefly flicking towards the bookshelf, but he returns his gaze to Jagr almost immediately, the older wizard seemingly not noticing the distraction. Jake puts the book back down and moves towards the door.

"I have this friend," Jagr is saying, but before he can finish, Charlie hunches over, putting his head in his hands and groaning. Jake feels a pang of worry, but reminds himself that he's just acting; there isn't actually anything wrong with him. Jagr stops mid-sentence. "Everything alright?"

Charlie groans again, really playing it up, and after a moment, he slowly picks his head back up. "It's starting to come back to me," he says, and his voice is just the slightest bit hoarse. Jake isn't quite sure how he does it; maybe his acting skills aren't so bad after all. "I was - I was in the forest, I think, with my sister. We were - oh no," he stands up suddenly, beginning to walk towards the door. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to go; I don't know what happened to her, but I have to find her. Thank you again for your kindness."

Jagr calls out to him, telling him to wait, but Charlie opens the door before he pauses, giving Jake time to slip out. Once he's out, he wastes no time in leaving the yard, and once he's a comfortable distance away from the house, he stops. He can't see the house anymore; he'll have to hope Charlie can find him once he gets out.

Jake looks around, ensuring that he's still alone, and makes himself visible again. He waits for several minutes before eventually, Charlie approaches him.

"We did it," Jake breathes. He's had the card for a while, and has already made it out of the house without detection, but now that Charlie is here, it's all real. "We really did it," he says again.

"Fuck, I love you," Charlie says, and it's the first time they've said it, but Jake doesn't even hesitate to say it back.

"I love you too," he says, pulling Charlie in for a brief kiss. "But we need to go."

"You're right, you're right," Charlie says. He holds out his hand, and Jake takes it. "Whenever you're ready."

Jake pushes the exchange out of his mind, focuses on the alley in Hogsmeade they'd been in that afternoon. He thinks of the brick walls, the sweet scent from The Three Broomsticks nearby, the chilly spring air, until he's sure he has a perfect mental picture, and once he does, he grips Charlie's hand as tight as he can, and Apparates.

They're back in the alley in an instant, and Jake is relieved to see that once again, he's managed not to splinch them. They've made it back to Hogsmeade, unharmed, undetected, and the Jagr card is theirs.

"Last one there's a rotten egg," Charlie says, grinning, and begins to sprint back to Honeydukes. Jake follows, confused at the expression, but ready to end the competition at last.

-

They get a few odd looks sprinting through Hogsmeade, and they're lucky they weren't much later as Honeydukes is nearly closed, but they make it into the secret passage without any questions. Once they're there, they run even faster, determined to make it to McGonagall as quickly as possible. They run through the castle as well, thankful that it isn't curfew just yet, and finally, they make it to the Great Hall. It's dinnertime now, and sure enough, McGonagall is sitting at the end of the hall with the professors. Now that they're in view of the professors, Jake and Charlie are sure to walk, and it's agonizingly slow. On the way, Charlie stops at the Gryffindor table, saying that Jake should be the one to do this, so he walks to the end alone.

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, can I tell you something?" Jake greets her, trying to act guilty. Students are definitely not permitted on the professors' stage during meals, but he feels that this is important enough to warrant an excuse.

"Whatever it is, Mr. DeBrusk, I don't see any reason it can't wait until after dinner," she says.

Jake smiles sheepishly, returning to the Gryffindor table without another word. He sits next to Charlie, explaining the situation, and now, they're back to waiting.

It's easily the worst dinner he's ever had at Hogwarts, not because of the food, but because of the waiting. By the time they arrived, dinner was already nearly over, yet it still takes far too long for Jake's liking. He's restless, full of nervous energy; Connor, Jack, and Nico are all in the Great Hall, all acting normal, what if one of them completed the collection while he was gone?

"Just calm down, man," Charlie says. "No one here knows anything; they'd have announced it already."

He's probably right, but Jake still can't wait for the meal to be over. Shortly before the end of dinner, Professor McGonagall catches his eye - not difficult, considering that he keeps glancing over at the professors' table - and motions for him to come back up there. Jake gets up immediately, leaving Charlie mid-sentence, not even bothering to swallow the bite he'd been chewing. He swallows it before he makes it up there, and once he does, he pulls out the cards.

"I've got them all," he says.

McGonagall raises an eyebrow. "Have you really?" She takes the cards from him, looking through them, and after a moment, she hands them back. "Very well, then. That's all nineteen."

"So I've won?" Jake asks, feeling a flutter in his chest.

"Yes," she says, and Jake breaks out into a grin. It's all he can do to stop himself from cheering louder than he ever has at any Quidditch match; he's won, he's really done it, and he doesn't think he's ever been more relieved. "Shall we announce it now, then?"

"I'm ready," Jake says, and she smiles.

"Excellent," she says. "Congratulations."

-

Within a moment, Professor McGonagall has made her way to the podium, and the Great Hall has fallen silent. Jake is sitting at the professors' table, obviously out of place, and he knows everyone knows what's about to happen.

"Good evening, students," she begins. "I have a special announcement to make. I know you're all aware of the Chocolate Frog Card Inter-House Competition, and as the school year approaches its end, I am pleased to inform you that we do indeed have a winner. Admittedly, I was not entirely sure that anyone would complete the collection, as it is a much more difficult task than one might think, and is impossible to complete within the boundaries of the castle without the assistance of one's House. However, representing Gryffindor, if he will please come forward, the winner of the competition is Jake DeBrusk."

Jake gets up, smiling and waving at the Gryffindor table as he walks to the podium. Charlie, Anders, and Willy are sitting at the very front; they hadn't been there before, and Jake realizes that Charlie must have asked them to move in a show of support, and now on top of the rush from the crowd, he feels a sense of love and fondness enveloping him. It's been a long and emotional day, he thinks, and it's going to feel great to get into bed.

But first, he has to give a brief speech - no longer than a minute, McGonagall had said just before she went on.

"Thank you, thank you," Jake says, looking out at the crowd. "I have been collecting these cards all my life, and I am beyond honored to be the champion. I couldn't have done it without the help of Gryffindor, and most especially my friends and boyfriend, so thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I would also like to congratulate Jack, Connor, and Nico for their efforts; it was a tight competition, and all of them did their best to represent their House, so you should all be proud." He must really be feeling sappy tonight, but it's easy enough to blame it on Charlie. He started it, after all. "Have a good night, everyone," he says, waving to the crowd one last time before handing the stage back to McGonagall, who echoes his sentiments, awards the 150 House Points, and sends him back to the Gryffindor table with the promise that he will receive his 500 Galleons and interview with the Daily Prophet within the next few days, provided that no one outside of Hogwarts has beaten him to it. She still has to send them an owl to announce the winner, but there’s been no news of a winner, so Jake feels pretty good about his chances. Even if someone did beat him to it, he won the Hogwarts competition, and if he’s being honest, that feels more important than any Daily Prophet article or monetary reward.

Dinner is over now, and Jake returns to the table to find his friends waiting for him.

"Look at you, champion," Anders says, pulling him in for a quick hug. "Seriously though, congrats."

"Yeah, nice job," Willy says, smiling. "I'm sorry I couldn't help much, but you did it."

"You didn't have to," Jake says, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it."

Anders and Willy start walking out, heading back to the common room for the night, but Charlie takes Jake's hand, stopping him.

"I didn't say it before, but congratulations, really," he says.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Jake says, moving closer to him. "And I wouldn't have wanted to. I'm glad you decided to help me."

Charlie pulls him in, meeting his lips for a kiss. It's soft, and slow, and all too brief, since they're still in the Great Hall and kissing isn't exactly allowed there. Charlie pulls away.

"I'm glad, too," he says.

-

Jake arrives at breakfast a bit later than usual, having slept in a bit due to the long day he'd had. When he arrives, Charlie is already there, though he doesn't look awake enough to have been there for long.

"Hey," Jake says, keeping his voice low, as he sits next to him.

Charlie mumbles something in return and takes a sip of his coffee. They sit in silence for a while, and Jake occupies himself by watching the other students. Things are different this morning, in that everyone seems to be looking at him. No one is outright staring, but almost every time he moves his eyes, someone averts theirs, not wanting to be caught. He supposes it's because of his victory, but it's a little unnerving.

"You ever feel like you're being watched?" Charlie asks him, a small grin on his face.

Jake laughs. "Yes," he says. "Yes I do."

Charlie's awake enough to make conversation now, and the rest of breakfast passes quickly. Jake gets lost in the conversation, even if it isn't particularly important, to the point that he doesn't notice the arrival of the post until Charlie stops mid-sentence and looks over at the Ravenclaw table.

"What is it?" Jake asks, following Charlie's line of vision to see - _oh_.

Connor is sitting alone, having put his fork down with the arrival of the post. He's opening a small envelope, and they're close enough that Jake can see him pull out its contents. The pentagonal shape is unmistakable; they're Chocolate Frog Cards, and though Jake can't tell who's on the cards, he can tell that there are two of them. Connor doesn't react, just shoves the cards back into the envelope, pushing it aside. None of the other Ravenclaws say anything, at least, not that Jake can tell, and Connor resumes eating.

Jake turns back to Charlie. "You think those were the cards he needed?"

Charlie nods. "Probably."

"Merlin," Jake says. "That was close."


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> word count: 1,173

"Hey Jake!"

Jake looks up, closing the magazine he'd been reading on the latest advances in Potions. Anders is walking over to him, and Jake smiles and waves at him. He comes over, giving Jake a brief hug.

"Anders! Long time no see," Jake says. "How's Willy doing?" Anders and Willy had been best friends all throughout their time at Hogwarts, yet it wasn't until several years later and a few too many shots of Firewhiskey at Jake and Charlie's wedding that they actually got together. Jake hadn't ever seen it coming, but they worked so well together, had practically been attached at the hip since they'd met; in hindsight, they were the perfect pair.

"Oh, Willy's great," Anders says. "He got a promotion last week, actually. Now he's head of the Department of Mysteries!"

"No way," Jake says, nodding. "That's amazing! Tell him I said congrats."

"I will," Anders says. He moves to stand beside Jake, leaning against the wall so that he, too, can see when the train approaches. "You know, I always ask him what the biggest mystery he's investigating is, but he can never tell me, because of confidentiality and all that."

"He just doesn't want to admit that he's investigating how your brain manages to function with all that dead space in it," Jake says, smirking. Anders laughs, hitting him playfully. For a moment, it feels just like old times, but as Jake readjusts his scarf and looks out at the crowd of parents waiting in the snow, he knows things have changed.

"Hey, how's Charlie doing?" Anders asks after a moment.

"You've seen the news," Jake tells him. "The Cannons are first in the league, and everyone thinks this is the year they're finally going to win it. Charlie's been training hard, you know. He really thinks this is their year."

"What do you think?" Anders asks. "Actually, what does your dad think?"

"Of course it's their year," Jake smiles. "Charlie's a great player still, and an amazing captain, plus they've got Lauko now. They're a stacked team with incredible leadership and chemistry; they're almost destined to win it. My dad isn't so sure, says the Cannons might be cursed, but I don't believe him."

"I trust Bridgette believes in her father?"

"Naturally," Jake says.

"What do you - oh, look, it's here!"

Jake looks back toward the tracks, and sure enough, the Hogwarts Express is pulling up. Parents are getting up from their seats and abandoning their spots along the walls, all clamoring to be the first to greet their children. Jake and Anders join the crowd, watching for their kids, and Anders' son is one of the first to get off.

Niall walks up to him, not running like the first-years, but it's clear from his wide grin that he's excited to see his father. Anders pulls him in for a hug, and Niall squirms a little; Jake hears him say something about having the most embarrassing dad in the world, but then he sees Bridgette get off the train, and he's no longer paying attention.

His daughter runs up to him, and he holds his arms out, catching her as she runs right into him. It's the first time he's seen her in months, and he's ecstatic; Charlie's been teasing him about not dealing well with having an empty nest, and Jake has to admit that he has a point, but in his defense, working from home with only his potions to keep him company while Charlie's away can be quite lonely.

"I want to hear all about your first few months when we get home, okay?" Jake says. "Your dad's at practice, but he'll be home soon, and then you can tell us everything."

-

Jake Apparates the two of them home after saying goodbye to Anders and Niall, and they're surprised to see Charlie sitting on the couch.

"Hey," he greets, and Bridgette lets go of Jake to run up and hug him, too. "I got out a little early today. I just couldn't _wait_ to see you, Bridge." He's smiling as wide as Jake's ever seen, his eyes crinkling, and Jake is even more in love than he ever imagined he could be back at Hogwarts.

"Can I tell you everything now?" Bridgette asks once Charlie lets her go.

"Of course," Jake says, and they all sit on the couch.

She tells them about her first four months at Hogwarts, how she'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, how cozy the common room is, how easily she made friends, how much she loves Professor Bergeron's class. Jake and Charlie listen attentively, and though they've heard most of this from her letters, it's good to see her again after so many months.

"Oh!" Bridgette exclaims after declaring that she's finished. "One more thing." She gets up, walking across the room to open her trunk, and digs inside for a moment before finding what she's looking for. She picks it up and hides it behind her back. "Close your eyes," she says, and they both obey. "Hold out your hands, Papa." This is directed at Jake, and he does as she asks.

Soon, he feels something drop into his hands, and Bridgette tells him to open his eyes. Jake does, and his eyes widen.

It's a Chocolate Frog Card, and the face on the front is none other than his own.

"Wow," he says. He had known that they were going to put him on a card, of course; the company had contacted him months ago to get his permission and have his portrait painted. Until now, though, he hadn't known the cards had been released, and he hadn't been able to see the final version.

"Go on," Charlie says, and he's practically bouncing; Jake thinks Charlie might be even more excited than he is. "Read it." Jake does.

> _A longtime Chocolate Frog Cards collector and first to officially collect the ninth series of Chocolate Frog Cards, DeBrusk is best known for winning the Hogwarts Chocolate Frog Card Inter-House Competition in 2014. Post-graduation, he has become a renowned Potions Master and is married to Charlie McAvoy, captain of the Chudley Cannons._

"You never told me about that," Bridgette says, pouting, but Jake can tell she's faking.

"We'll tell you now, then," Charlie says. "But first, Jake, do you know what this means?"

"It seems like we have work to do," Jake says. If his card has been released, then that means all the others have been as well. It's the first new batch of cards since Jake's time at Hogwarts, and even if McGonagall chooses to organize another competition, he knows he has to be the first to find them all again. It'll be easier this time, he thinks, given that he's an adult and has more freedom, but it won't be _easy_.

He knows he'll always have Charlie by his side, though.

"Let's do this," Charlie says, grinning, and Jake smiles back. He reaches across the couch to grab his hand.

"It'll be just like old times."

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow me on [tumblr](http://www.cjmasim.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Also, friendly reminder to check out [the playlist and cover art](https://open.spotify.com/user/somehowunbroken/playlist/0qJv4KjeLWBa1r0JmaNoLt?si=VaSXQQxMQjeXuc0M4aJnaw) if you haven't already!


End file.
